HEADLINES
TURKISH F-35A PROGRAM ON THE BRIN
THE ACTING US Defense Secretary announced on June 7 that F-35A training for Turkish personnel would end at Eglin AFB, Florida and Luke AFB, Arizona and 42 pilots and maintainers would need to leave the country by July 31. The announcement came as part of a proposal to end Turkish participation in the Joint Strike Fighter program following its refusal to end plans to procuring S-400 Triumf air defense systems from Russia.
The initial plans would have allowed 18 pilots to complete their training in June, however, security concerns spurred the commander of Luke’s 56th Fighter Wing to pause all training for the Turkish pilots. It was decided that there was no such concern with Turkish maintenance personnel, who were permitted to complete their training at Eglin. The F-35 Joint Program Office was also working to end Turkey’s industrial participation in the program. As a result, Turkey would ‘receive no new workshare in the F-35 program. Its current workshare will be transitioned to alternate sources as they are qualified and come into rate production,’ according to the secretary, however, Lockheed Martin officials at the Paris Air Show in June said that no contracts had changed thus far.
