Turkey may buy Russian fighter jets if US freezes F-35s, says newspaper
Turkey may buy Russian Su-57 fighter jets if the United States decide to suspend the delivery of F-35 jets to the country, in response to the purchase of Russian S-400 anti-missile systems, Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak reported Sunday.
A US Senate committee passed earlier this week a defense policy bill that includes a measure to prevent Turkey from purchasing the F-35s, citing the country’s detention of US citizen Andrew Brunson and its agreement with Russia to buy its weapons systems in December.
The US draft legislation has irked the Turkish government, which has repeatedly stated that it is prepared to consider widening its cooperation with Russia without being restricted by its relations with the West.
The Sukhoi Su-57 is a stealth, single-seat, fifth-generation jet fighter currently being tested. The first test flight was held in 2010 and the new model is expected to enter service in 2019.
