Removing Turkey from the international F-35 program would cause supply chain disruptions that would affect up to 75 aircraft over a two-year period, F-35 Lighting II Program Executive Officer Rear Adm
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th April, 2019) Removing Turkey from the international F-35 program would cause supply chain disruptions that would affect up to 75 aircraft over a two-year period, F-35 Lighting II Program Executive Officer Rear Adm. Mathias Winter said in congressional testimony on Thursday."The evaluation of Turkey stopping would be between 50 to 75 airplane impact over a two-year period," Winter said when asked what would happen if Turkey stops supplying parts. "From a timeline [point of view], we would see within 45 to 90 days an impact of the slowing down or stopping of those parts to the three production lines."
Winter explained that Turkey and the other seven partners in the F-35 program are all part of the supply chain and have roughly a percentage of supply chain demand commensurate with the number of aircraft they are procuring.
"Turkey is about 6 to 7 percent of our F-35 supply chain," Winter noted.
At present, there has been no disruption to the supply chain from any of the partners in the F-35 program and that includes the United States.
"The flow we call 'work in progress' or WHIP that is flowing from Turkey from my other partners continues to fly to not only Fort Worth, but to Cameri, Italy and Nagoya, Japan," Winter said. "Those are our three production lines."
The US military strives to ensure that appropriate steps are put in place to mitigate potential disruption of the supply chain, no matter where it comes from, Winter added.
On April 2, Acting Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Charles Summers Jr. said the United States has halted deliveries and activities with Turkey on F-35 capabilities over Ankara's decision to buy Russian S-400 air defense systems.
Winter testified before the US House of Representatives Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical and land Forces on the issue of Navy and Marine Corps tactical aviation and ground modernization.
