The exclusion of Ankara from the F35 program has obviously caused much ink to flow, in Turkey as in the United States. Beyond the political and industrial aspects, the main constraint for the Turkish armies of this decision related to the acquisition of S-400 systems of Russian origin, is the absence of a short-term solution to replace part of its air force. reached by a strong obsolescence, as is the case of its F4E Phantoms acquired in the 70s. it also deprives Ankara of Western support to develop its “new generation” T-FX fighter program, intended to replace the 250 F16s in service with the Turkish Air Force.
If, for a while, Ankara seemed to be getting closer to Moscow to acquire Su-35 fighters and possibly participate in the Su-57 program, this option seems to have lost its appeal as the areas of tension between the two countries continue to multiply and to deteriorate, whether in Syria, Libya or in the tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. All eyes are therefore now on the T-FX program, which is becoming a symbol of the renewal of the Turkish defense industry, with the heavy tank Altay, the Ada corvettes, the T129 helicopter or the armed drone Bayraktar TB2.
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