myNameJeff-17
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This sounds less "assertive" than in the past, no?
Turkic
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Exactly. It's only the ambassador to the US but going from "we control America" to "they do what they need to do" type of talks is a huge difference.
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Your cope on F-35 is honestly at insane levels man. Leiter is a soft spoken historian, he's being diplomatic in tone. And tbh he's one of the few in Bibi's main circle that have been "middling" re Turkish relations.
Netenyahu on the other hand repeated the same stuff he's been saying for a decade again today.
Zafer
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You probably didn't hear it when the American general said "We desperately need to give the F35 to Turkey" several years ago. They are thinking they can shape Türkiye's airforce's future by introducing the F35 into the TurAF. Their hope is a different government in Türkiye will ditch Kaan and just have the F35 instead. To do that they have to have gone forward with the F35 delivery and build on this base to sell more F35 to Türkiye. This plan can not happen if the US does not give the F35 now.
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Give me a quote on that.
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Malatya 7th Main Jet Base Activation Project, a joint effort by HAVELSAN and Nurol Construction, successfully established a fully integrated military ecosystem tailored to F-35 standards years ago. The upgrade delivered top-tier personnel and physical security, featuring secure datalinks bridging the HVBS (Air Force Information System) with the F-35 network, robust cyber defense shields, biometric access controls, and electromagnetic-shielded SAPF (Special Access Program Facilities) rooms.
Under the original deployment plan, the 171st "Korsan" (Pirate) and 172nd "Şahin" (Hawk) Squadrons were designated for a complete transition to the F-35A, stepping into the fifth-generation era. With space for two full operational squadrons alongside additional training and reserve jets at the Integrated Training Center, the base was built to handle a heavy operational load of about 40 to 50 F-35 fighter aircraft simultaneously. Thanks to the completed hardened aircraft shelters (HAS), specialized hangars, biometric checkpoints, and cyber-secured networks at Erhaç, this 40+ jet infrastructure remains virtually turnkey today. Essentially, since Turkiye has already absorbed the massive upfront infrastructure costs, re-entering the program would mean avoiding those heavy initial investments. The acquisition package would practically boil down to the bare-flyaway cost of the aircraft themselves. This makes a potential return may cost-effective, as the most expensive phase of prepping the base is already paid for.
If Turkiye ever rejoins the program, adding just two operational F-35 squadrons wouldn’t bottleneck or derail national defense programs. In the grand scheme of the Turkish Air Force’s total fleet requirement, this limited acquisition serves as a perfect stopgap. It secures the airspace while giving KAAN "the future backbone of the fleet" and indigenous unmanned combat aircraft (UCAVs) the vital breathing room they need to mature through their mass production timelines. Ultimately, it buys the Turkish defense industry the luxury of not rushing its homegrown projects, ensuring they reach full technological maturity before hitting the flight line.
In short, if possible, creating two F-35 fighter squadrons instead of a new F-16 block might be more rational. At this point, it's necessary to consider not only the air force combat scheme but also the regional political implications. As a starting point, we can look at which countries are most concerned about Türkiye acquiring F-35s.
Under the original deployment plan, the 171st "Korsan" (Pirate) and 172nd "Şahin" (Hawk) Squadrons were designated for a complete transition to the F-35A, stepping into the fifth-generation era. With space for two full operational squadrons alongside additional training and reserve jets at the Integrated Training Center, the base was built to handle a heavy operational load of about 40 to 50 F-35 fighter aircraft simultaneously. Thanks to the completed hardened aircraft shelters (HAS), specialized hangars, biometric checkpoints, and cyber-secured networks at Erhaç, this 40+ jet infrastructure remains virtually turnkey today. Essentially, since Turkiye has already absorbed the massive upfront infrastructure costs, re-entering the program would mean avoiding those heavy initial investments. The acquisition package would practically boil down to the bare-flyaway cost of the aircraft themselves. This makes a potential return may cost-effective, as the most expensive phase of prepping the base is already paid for.
If Turkiye ever rejoins the program, adding just two operational F-35 squadrons wouldn’t bottleneck or derail national defense programs. In the grand scheme of the Turkish Air Force’s total fleet requirement, this limited acquisition serves as a perfect stopgap. It secures the airspace while giving KAAN "the future backbone of the fleet" and indigenous unmanned combat aircraft (UCAVs) the vital breathing room they need to mature through their mass production timelines. Ultimately, it buys the Turkish defense industry the luxury of not rushing its homegrown projects, ensuring they reach full technological maturity before hitting the flight line.
In short, if possible, creating two F-35 fighter squadrons instead of a new F-16 block might be more rational. At this point, it's necessary to consider not only the air force combat scheme but also the regional political implications. As a starting point, we can look at which countries are most concerned about Türkiye acquiring F-35s.
Zafer
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It was in a foreign media article several years back, internet should have it, I don't have a link. There were time I was not allowed to post on the forum, missing link is the consequence.
