If Turkey’s recent actions are anything to go by they have already committed to buying the Russian missile system despite warning that this might jeopardise the F-35 deal.

If they are that dismissive about valid US/NATO/F-35 Consortium security concerns, then they are simply displaying exactly why they should not be allowed access.

Their attitude in general, when they can't get what they want from the west, is to cuddle up to the east and vice versa. They trade one side off against the other so they don't have to be anyone's poodle. On the F-35 it's the Americans who need to sell them much more, I think (but I admit I'm no expert), than Turkey needs to buy them.

And a legitimate tactic to use in bargaining, this however to be balanced against the legitimate concerns of the consortium who propose buying the F-35 which has to be also taken into consideration.

Britain has doubts about servicing it’s F-35’s outside UK ie in Turkey. Israel will certainly have concerns with Turkish F-35’s as their relationship with Turkey has had its ups and downs, though they have quite sensibly obtained rights to distance/isolate themselves to a degree from parts of the program.

Turkey’s actions as a NATO ally have in the past raised concerns with NATO, their recent purchase of the Russian missile system unprecedented in the NATO partnership quite apart from their differences with the US.

There would be many who feel that the need to sell to Turkey has been in doubt for a while and that it should be stopped. It has been an ‘interesting' development that is quite rapidly approaching crunch time.

Which way it will go is anyone’s guess as it has been a very fluid situation with regard to Erdogan and whether his own people will put up with his particular dreams of power, national alliances, and, shaping of the thinking and policies of the Turkish Military which has been so drastically culled of any Western leaning command structure.

Given events in Italy, statements in the UK, and Easter Eggs in the PB19, the program can ill afford to wave goodbye to 100 sales.

A certain desperation is also evident when an LM-compensated consultant is comparing advocacy of European aircraft in Germany to treason:

Taking a leaf from Vladimir Putin’s playbook, some in Europe’s aerospace and defense industry have warned of dire consequences should Germany break with recent practice and acquire a limited number of F-35s to fulfill its commitments under NATO’s nuclear-sharing agreement.

Goure's link goes to this story.

Airbus defense chief Dirk Hoke told German newspaper Die Welt am Sonntag this weekend that a decision to buy the F-35 would kill off plans by France and Germany to develop a new European fighter. “As soon as Germany becomes an F-35 nation, all cooperation with France on combat jet issues will die,” Hoke told the paper.

Gouré supports American arms sales to other countries, as a method of controlling them.[5]


"Because it controls the flow of spare parts and the technology to upgrade U.S. systems, Washington can also influence local politics," Goure observed.

"In World War II, the United States earned the title of the Arsenal of Democracy. Since that time the continued use of the title has been justified by the way the United States has employed targeted arms sales to support and influence friends and allies around the world."


Ref http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Sec...4581298409611/

Arms sales of certain weapons to certain allies.

LM and the US can ill afford to give away cutting edge secrets when there is a serious risk of them compromising a major defence system of every other member of the F-35 consortium.

A "cooperation" that is much more imaginary than real. If such cooperation actually existed, Rafale would not exist and Typhoon would look quite different than it now is.

I see the Israelis have leaked pics of an F 35 over Lebanon....

Ken - There is an early Dassault-Airbus relationship on a future combat aircraft, post-Typhoon/Rafale.

I'm aware of that. There was also an "early relationship" when the concept for Typhoon was being developed. That turned from "cooperation" into direct competition. This will likely (almost certainly?) be no different.

Doesn’t bode well for the Franco/German option for a German F-35 replacement. But then the German forces are in a little bit of a state of disarray.

France which was a ‘victor’ in the last war, quite logically is in a better position, and their front line equipment is in a bit better shape...but...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...nes-unfit-fly/

Boeing/Navy just did a sensor fusion test of the new block III sensor, datalink, processing, and display suite. The results were, according to the Navy pilots, "eye watering". And this is the first iteration with significant improvements expected before it goes into full production.
LINK

Given Turkey’s present economic situation one does wonder if Turkey is in a position to buy 100 F-35’s?
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world...-tayyip-erdoga

As of 2013, €998,000,000 from the EU should have helped...

A good point, if a rather sore one.

Fine, take some of the 3.4 million Syrian refugees then perhaps, if you think all those frightened racists back home would put up with it.

Really?

Pawns in Erdoğans hand more like....