Turkey: Defense Firms Undergo Losses after F-35 Removal

Turkish defense companies could face temporary losses after Washington’s decision to remove Ankara from the F-35 fighter jet program.

However, the industry will emerge stronger as a result, the head of Turkey’s Defence Industry Directorate said on Thursday.

US said it was removing Turkey from the F-35 jet program over its purchase of Russian S-400 defence systems, Reuters reported.

Turkey had earlier ordered more than 100 of the stealth fighters and its defense firms were also involved in building the jets.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Ismail Demir said Turkish companies would evaluate how to compensate for their losses from Turkey’s removal.

He also added that other countries involved in the F-35 program would face an additional cost of $7-8 million per jet as a result of the move.

According to Reuters, Demir revealed that Turkey would not purchase foreign defense equipment from now on unless it was absolutely necessary, but did not elaborate further.