In this issue, we're going to talk about the F-16. Recently, the US military stationed in South Korea suffered another F-16 crash. On May 6 last year, about 60 kilometers from Seoul, the US military stationed in South Korea dropped an F-16; On December 11 last year, when the People's Liberation Army was exercising in the Yellow Sea, the US military stationed in South Korea also crashed again in the Yellow Sea, this time the second F-16; In addition to this time, in just 9 months, the US military stationed in South Korea has suffered three F-16 fighter crashes. If you count last September, the South Korean Air Force also dropped a domestic version of the F-16, which was named KF-16 by South Korea, then in just 9 months, there were 4 F-16 crashes in the entire region.
Interestingly, not so long ago, the United States approved Turkey's request for the purchase of 40 F-16 fighters, a contract worth up to $23 billion. There is information that before that, Turkey had planned to buy the Chinese J-10, and the parties were close to reaching an agreement. Turkey is more willing to risk offending China than to deal with China, choosing to buy F-16 fighters. But a few days after Turkey's wish came true, an F-16 crash occurred, which makes one marvel at the irony.
Many people joked that Turkey suffered a big loss this time. But is that really the case? I don't think so. Why does Turkey have to buy the F-16? Not because the F-16 is so powerful that it can significantly boost Turkey's military power, but because the F-16 is known worldwide as "one of the most successful fighters". In total, the United States has produced nearly 5,000 F-16s over the decades, which are armed by more than 20 countries and regions. Even today, although the United States is phasing out old fighters, the F-16 is still on the list of "4+1" models, which is enough to prove its worth.
The problem is that Turkey itself is already a medium-sized military power and is even trying to develop its own fifth-generation aircraft. The F-16 is not as important as one might think. In reality, the F-16 deal between the United States and Turkey is just a naked exchange of interests. The United States agreed to give Turkey ** F-16, and in return, Turkey agreed to support Sweden's accession to NATO. This was openly admitted by the Turkish ** Erdogan. In September last year, he made it clear that ratifying the F-16 and agreeing to Sweden's accession to NATO are interlinked. For Turkey, the purchase of the F-16 is not the end goal, and the deeper intention is to repair the growing tensions with the United States.
At present, the relationship between the United States and Turkey is tense, and the level of trust between the two sides is very low. Last year, Turkey's purchase of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system from Russia, which led to the exclusion of the United States from the F-35 joint fighter project, had a serious impact on the modernization of Turkey's air force. Given that Turkey has been neutral between the United States and Russia in the past in order to maximize its interests, the tension between the United States and Turkey now makes Turkey feel the need to repair it. This time, Turkey is buying the F-16 with a lot of money, in fact, sending a clear signal to the United States that it is willing to ease relations with the United States. This meaning is the most important and the most important thing for Turkey. As a proverb says: "US fighter planes frequently fall, and Turkey's new purchases suffer a big loss?" Military strength is not for the purpose of military strength, and the key is to repair the name. ”
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