Breaking news
Turkey plans to purchase four more F-35 jet fighters and five CH-47F transport helicopters.
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World
Aviation Defense & Security News - Turkey |
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| Turkey plans to purchase four more F-35 jet fighters and five CH-47F transport helicopters | |||
Turkish
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has announced plans by his country to purchase
four more F-35 fighter jets and an additional five helicopters from the
US. “It is planned that Turkey will buy 100 F-35 warplanes in
the project. We previously ordered two in this framework. We have now
decided to order four more,” Davutoglu said on Wednesday following
a meeting of Turkey’s Under-secretariat for Defense Industries concerning
defense purchases. |
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The
Turkish premier also said five more CH-47F
Chinook heavy transport helicopters will be purchased from the US,
increasing the total number of CH-47F helicopters ordered so far by Turkey
to 19.
Davutoglu added that the decision was in line with Turkey’s planned long-range missile system project, which seeks to replace country’s aging F-4 and F-16 fleet with the 100 F-35s. However, the acquisition of the total order has been hampered by increasing costs. The next-generation F-35 jet fighters, manufactured by the US Lockheed Martin Company for the US military and allies in a $399-billion project, are reportedly the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program ever. In 2012, Turkey announced its plans to purchase 100 F-35 jet fighters from the United States at a cost of $16 billion. |
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