The United States invested heavily in Turkey, with 23 billion F-16 transactions and the J-10C being ignored.
According to the Associated Press, the United States** has officially agreed to export a total of 40 state-of-the-art F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, with a contract value of up to 23 billion yuan. The ratification comes after Turkey** formally ratified Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a move widely seen as a major achievement in NATO's expansion of its sphere of influence.
The United States officially notified Congress on the evening of January 26, 2024 local time, that it had approved the proposal to export F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. The agreement also includes U.S. equipment support for the modernization and comprehensive upgrade of Turkey's current fleet of 79 F-16 fighter jets.
In addition, the U.S. side also plans to send a large number of F-35 fighter jets and related equipment to Greece at the same time, with an estimated transaction value of 8.6 billion yuan.
The issue of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey has been the subject of months of intensive discussion and careful consideration by the United States. As a member of NATO, Turkey has been working to strengthen its F-16 fleet to improve its competitiveness on the air battlefield. However, the United States also has a number of internal considerations for the Turkish F-16 fighters.
It is worth noting that the sharp changes in the international political situation some time ago had a profound impact on this decision. In particular, the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has prompted the Nordic countries to re-examine their security environment. Countries such as Sweden and Finland have chosen to join NATO to strengthen their position against potential threats from Russia.
Although Sweden applied for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in May 2022, the application has not been approved due to delays in the approval process in Turkey and Hungary.
Turkey strongly opposes Sweden's accession to NATO, mainly because it fears that Sweden is allegedly sympathetic to Kurdish militants. This includes, in particular, members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey, the European Union, and the United States have all listed as a terrorist organization. As one of the main members of NATO, the United States naturally hopes that Sweden will be able to join this important alliance. Therefore, in the long and complicated process of negotiations and consultations, the United States and Turkey gradually formed a game situation centered on Sweden's NATO membership license and the resumption of the United States to Turkey** F-16 fighter jets.
As Turkey succeeded in removing the last hurdle to Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United States reacted quickly by lifting the embargo on Turkey's F-16 fighter jets and their upgrades. This decision is undoubtedly a milestone in the joint military efforts of the United States and Turkey, providing Turkey with a valuable opportunity to upgrade and modernize its air force.
According to"f-16 "**According to published data, more than 30 countries and territories around the world have become current or former users of the F-16, most of whom are U.S. allied partners. This suggests that the F-16 has an extremely wide range of potential***
In addition, the F-16 is currently the most widely used combat aircraft in the world. Since its entry into mass production in 1975, more than 4,500 aircraft have been produced, of which more than 3,000 are still in service.
On this basis, the United States and Western parties can ensure the adequacy of F-16 fighters and their ammunition and spare parts if they so wish**. Similarly, it is easier for Ukraine to recruit retired pilots from Western countries with relevant flight experience.
Since its inception, the F-16 has excelled and has been a formidable attack platform. The F-16 is a light air-to-air fighter with a design philosophy that leans toward simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and high flexibility.
For example, its lateral controls, electronically controlled flight system, rear seats, advanced wing-body fusion design, and unique bubble cockpit are all designed to improve the F-16's survivability and attack efficiency in intense air combat.
In the 80s of the 20th century, with the evolution of combat modes, the R&D team equipped the F-16 with a more advanced ** system and its fire control system, which gave the aircraft the ability to perform close air support and precision ground bombing missions. As a result, the F-16 is able to provide superior air and ground combat capabilities, becoming a real one"Multi-purpose fighter"。
In terms of ground attack characteristics, the F-16 fighter is capable of flying 860 kilometers to reach the target location without the need for aerial refueling support, and using its high-precision guidance** to accurately strike the designated target, and then return to the initial departure point. If the Ukrainian Air Force can successfully introduce F-16 fighters, then in the near future, the Ukrainian Air Force can take full advantage of the fighter's long range and strong maneuverability to take off from western airfields, support the southern front, and even carry out effective strikes against targets in depth in the rear of the Russian army.
Nowadays, it is not easy to cooperate and interact with each other. Turkey, for example, was forced to abandon the F-35 joint development project and even faced long-term economic and military sanctions due to Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems, which eventually led to a rupture in relations with the United States. In the years of strengthening relations with Russia, Turkey has repeatedly expressed its desire to equip Su-57** fighters, and even considered temporarily using the Su-35 to counter US pressure, and finally directly develop its own fifth-generation aircraft.
In order to preserve the friendship between the two allies and avoid a deterioration in relations, the United States, weighing the pros and cons, proposed a compromise - to supply Turkey with the latest F-16 fighters. However, this proposal was conditional on Sweden's agreement to join the NATO alliance. Turkey has stated that it is not necessary to buy the F-16C D, but can also consider buying J-10C or Russian-made fighters. The reason is that Pakistan is no longer dependent on equipment after the F-16, Turkey can get the J-10C and does not need to bother with pressure from the United States.
Judging from past history, Turkey does not really see the J-10C as a strategic choice, but as a bargaining chip with the United States. For example, in the past, Turkey won the bid"Hongqi-9"air defense system, but chose to break the agreement and cancel the procurement plan in favor of Russian-made S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.
In the process,"Hongqi-9"Apparently used as a tool to depress **. Now, Turkey has reached an agreement with the United States to allow Sweden to join NATO as a prerequisite for obtaining F-16 fighter jets. Of course, since then, no one has been interested in the J-10C fighter anymore.
It is actually a good thing that Turkey did not buy the J-10C. The reason is that Turkey, which has always been a vacillating and capricious member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), abruptly abandoned the purchase"Hongqi-9", and buy the S-400 instead. If Turkey is allowed to buy the J-10C, risks such as technology leaks will be inevitable.
In early 2017, Turkey signed an agreement with Russia on the purchase of Russian S-400 long-range anti-aircraft missile systems. This move immediately attracted the strong attention of the Western world, especially the United States - after all, Turkey is a member of NATO, and the move undoubtedly harms the interests of the Western camp.
The United States has previously speculated that given the long-term large-scale use of F-16 fighters by the Turkish Air Force, if the new F-16 fighter can be introduced to Turkey and the existing F-16 models can be upgraded accordingly, the Turkish Air Force will undoubtedly be able to easily use this new equipment and quickly improve its combat effectiveness. Therefore, it is assumed that Turkey will gladly accept this"Alternatives"。However, things seem to have taken a turn for the better some time ago.
Kagri Erhan, a member of Turkey's Security and Foreign Policy Council, reportedly said in a public statement:"The U.S.-proposed deal for F-16 fighters is too expensive, and Turkey has decided to cancel previously scheduled orders for F-16 fighters and look for other, more affordable alternatives, given budget concerns. Looking back, in 2012, China's Hongqi-9 air defense system went to Turkey to participate in a local long-range air defense system live-fire competition. In this large-scale test, the Hongqi-9 air defense system faced the Russian S-400, European"Aster"and a variety of cutting-edge opponents such as the Patriot-3 of the United States, and its performance can be described as outstanding. Not only did it maintain a high hit rate in the attack test, but it also came out on top at a very competitive cost. Despite this, Turkey declared it a winner in 2013"Hongqi-9"order for air defense systems, but then dramatically announced the cancellation of the purchase.
Actually, Turkey originally wanted to buy from the United States"Patriot-3"Anti-aircraft missiles, but because the United States is too high, Turkey planned this public tender with the aim of lowering the United States through a certain amount of pressure. The United States has a resolute attitude and has always refused to let go of its price cuts, forcing Turkey to choose the Russian S-400 air defense system.
Although our Hongqi-9 air defense system showed sincerity in live firing and achieved the best results, it failed to win the competition and unfortunately lost.
It is worth noting that Turkey is clearly using the J-10C as a bargaining chip with the United States. In this regard, the Americans, naturally, will not make things too simple, and at the same time as agreeing to give Turkey ** F-16 fighters, they also approve ** to Greece ** worth 8.6 billion yuan**. Considering that Greece will receive 40 F-35 fighters, the dispute between the two countries is as fierce as the dispute between sworn enemies, with Turkey holding F-16 fighters and Greece holding F-35 fighters, which indicates that the latter will surpass the former in air combat.
In fact, Turkey has always been NATO's second-largest military power, at least in terms of the number of foreign forces, second only to the United States. Turkey's active military population totals more than 500,000 people, including the navy, army, and air force. The Turkish army is armed with about 4 200 main battle tanks, the most advanced of which is 350 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks.
In terms of military power at sea, Turkey has almost 200,000 tons of ships, the most advanced of which are fully equipped"Anadolu"amphibious assault ship. The Air Force has more than 930 combat aircraft, including 240 F-16 fighters. In addition to continuing to develop its own R&D capabilities, Turkey is gradually reducing its dependence on foreign manufacturing technologies and is working to build its own production system for missiles, drones, ships and other **.
On the other hand, Greece, although not a globally powerful country, has a fairly strong military in terms of defense spending as a percentage of GDP and the level of armaments. It has advanced third-generation main battle tanks, third- and third-generation semi-fighter jets, modernized conventional submarines, and even a variety of advanced military equipment. Its military strength is comparable to that of militarily developed countries.