July 18th, 2019: According to sources, the United States of America has removed Turkey from F-35 fighter jet programme. This decision was made soon after Ankara accepted the delivery of an advanced Russian missile defence system last week and US felt threatened by this deal.
The first parts of the S-400 air defence system were flown to the Murted military airbase northwest of Ankara on Friday, sealing Turkey’s deal with Russia, which Washington had struggled for months to prevent.
“The US and other F-35 partners are aligned in this decision to suspend Turkey from the programme and initiate the process to formally remove Turkey from the programme,” said Ellen, undersecretary of defence for acquisition and sustainment, Pentagon.
Turkey’s foreign ministry said the move was unfair and could affect relations between the two countries.
