Turkey to Keep Making F-35 Parts Through 2022, Pentagon Says
- Turkey sanctioned after buying Russian missile defense system
- Pentagon says move was made to honor signed contracts
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The Pentagon will continue to depend on Turkish defense contractors for key components of the F-35 -- from its center fuselage to 139 parts of its engine propulsion system -- through 2022, according to U.S. defense officials.
It’s the Defense Department’s first public confirmation that the Trump administration has softened a pledge to oust Turkey from the fighter jet program by March of this year over its purchase of a Russian-built missile defense system known as the S-400.