Turkey May Sell S-400 Systems to Return to F-35 Program
Euractiv reported that Turkey may sell Russian S-400 systems to South Korea instead of returning them to Russia to regain access to F-35 jets.
Turkey may try to resolve the issue of returning to the F-35 program by selling Russian S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems to South Korea. According to Euractiv, this option is being considered instead of returning the systems to Russia.
Ankara’s main goal, as follows from the report, is linked to the possibility of obtaining American F-35 fighter jets. Turkey was removed from the program in 2019 after purchasing Russian air defense missile systems. Washington believed that the S-400s posed a threat to American technologies because they were capable of collecting radar data on the F-35.
Euractiv also indicates that after this, U. S. President Donald Trump may make concessions to Ankara on the issue of selling the fighter jets. Earlier, he suggested that he could make a decision that would «make Turkey very happy.»
However, Ankara’s possible return to the F-35 program has raised concern in Greece and Israel. These countries fear that the appearance of such aircraft in Turkey would change the military balance in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said he takes the threats of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seriously amid the diplomatic conflict between the two countries and intends to discuss the issue with the United States.
The Israeli factor is further reinforced by the fact that, according to Euractiv sources in Israeli security services, some F-35 components are manufactured and developed by Israeli companies. These sources believe Jerusalem is unlikely to welcome such components ending up in Turkish fighter jets.
The S-400 deal between Moscow and Ankara was signed in 2017. At that time, Turkey purchased four divisions of the air defense missile systems from Russia for $2.5 billion. Washington demanded that Ankara abandon the Russian systems and choose American Patriots instead, but Turkey refused. In response, the United States removed Turkey from the F-35 program.
Later, Ankara tried to find a way to return to purchasing American fighter jets. In the summer of 2024, the newspaper Cumhuriyet wrote that Turkey wanted to buy F-35s from the United States and, in exchange, was ready to promise that it would not use the S-400s purchased from Russia.
In December, Bloomberg reported that Turkey was allegedly seeking to return the Russian air defense missile systems back to Russia. At the same time, Turkey also did not rule out selling the systems to a third party. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously emphasized that Ankara would not be able to sell the S-400s purchased from Russia without Moscow’s approval.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, stated that Turkey’s possible return of the S-400 systems is not seen as a factor capable of affecting relations between the two countries.