ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2022) Turkey may consider purchasing Russian-made Su-35 fighter jets if the deal on the acquisition of US-made F-16 fails, Defense Industry Agency President Ismail Demir said on Saturday.
"One of the variants could be the Su-35," Demir told CNN Turk, answering a question about Turkey's alternatives in the event of a failure of the F-16 deal.
The US earlier sent an official notice to Turkey about its exclusion from the program for the supply of advanced F-35 fighter jets due to Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems. Washington canceled the joint memorandum on the F-35 with Turkey, signing it with the seven remaining partners in the F-35 project - the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, Canada and Norway. Erdogan subsequently said the US invited Ankara to buy other fighters, but of the fourth generation - F-16. The issue is to be agreed in the US Congress - the State Department is lobbying for it, convincing congressmen that the deal is in Washington's interest.
