Pentagon Chief Warns Turkey That F-35 Cooperation Is About to End
- Turkey’s purchase of Russian missile system risking ties
- Shanahan says Turkey still has time to ‘change course’
A Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 fighter aircraft.
Photographer: Carla Gottgens/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told his Turkish counterpart that the U.S. will end Turkey’s participation in the F-35 jet program by July 31 over the NATO ally’s decision to go forward with the purchase of a Russian missile defense system.
In a June 6 letter to Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Shanahan said there is still time for Turkey “to change course on the S-400” missile system, but he also laid out a timeline of how cooperation on the next-generation fighter will wind down. The U.S. has long said Turkey’s decision to buy the Russian equipment is incompatible with its role in both NATO and the F-35 program.