Turkey will no longer be allowed to participate in the F-35 fighter jet program as punishment for taking delivery of a Russian air defense system, the White House officially announced Wednesday.
The move marks a new low point for long-standing U.S.-Turkish ties, which have spiraled downward in recent years over Ankara's stifling of democratic opposition groups and its cozier relationship with Moscow.
The NATO ally, which has been a key partner on the stealth plane, on Friday received its first delivery of the S-400 air defense system, despite U.S. objections the military alliance cannot tolerate the Russian-made system and the F-35 because it would give the Russians a battlefield advantage.
“Turkey’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible,” a statement from the White House press secretary said. “The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities."
The White House statement makes no mention of whether sanctions will also be imposed under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. But further retaliation against Ankara could still be enforced by Congress and come at a later time.
Turkey was set to buy about 100 of the Lockheed Martin-built F-35s and its pilots have been training in the United States. The pilot training program is set to end at the end of July if Turkey went ahead with the S-400 sale, according to a letter from the Pentagon last month.
Turkey also manufactures some key F-35 parts and the Pentagon will have to find an alternative among other partners on the multinational program.
That could potentially cause significant delays in the program, according to Soner Cagaptay, the director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.“It’s not as if Turkey’s absence from the program won’t cause it any damage,” he said. “At the very least, it will slow the F-35 production calendar down. It will take at least a year, maybe two for another country to come in and replace Turkey.”
Other international partners on the program include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom.
Despite the rupture, the White House also said Wednesday it hopes the mutually beneficial defense relationship between the U.S. and Turkey, one of the founding members of the alliance after World War II, can continue.
“The United States still greatly values our strategic relationship with Turkey,” its statement says. “As NATO Allies, our relationship is multi-layered, and not solely focused on the F-35. Our military-to-military relationship is strong, and we will continue to cooperate with Turkey extensively, mindful of constraints due to the presence of the S-400 system in Turkey.”
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine