Three U.S. senators move to block F-35 transfers to Turkey

U.S. News & World Report ^ | April 26, 2018 | Reuters Staff

[huldah1776]

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Three U.S. senators introduced a measure on Thursday aimed at blocking the transfer of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Turkey, a NATO ally and one of nine partner nations involved in producing the high-tech, radar-evading aircraft.

The bill, by Republicans James Lankford and Thom Tillis, and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, comes at a time of deteriorating relations between the United States and Turkey, which supported the fight against Islamic State but has become increasingly worried about U.S. backing for Kurdish fighters in north Syria.

snip

Turkey plans to buy more than 100 of the F-35 aircraft. Turkish companies have been involved in producing parts for the fighter, and Ankara is scheduled to begin receiving its first aircraft within a year.

The bill would restrict the transfer of F-35s to Turkey and limit Ankara from receiving intellectual property or technical data needed to maintain and support the fighters.

[huldah1776]

Bears repeating...

"Turkish companies have been involved in producing parts for the fighter..."

[LibWhacker]

The Ninth Circus to move to block that bill in 5...4...3...2...

[T-Bone Texan]

Turkey is the enemy.

[Pollard]

Which globalist set that up?

[PIF]

Better article here - includes the actual Bill
Senate Bill To Ban F-35 Sales To Turkey An Unprecedented Attempt To Check Erdogan's Actions
The fissure between Ankara and Washington is growing wider and what may come of it is anyone's guess.
By Tyler Rogoway and Joseph Trevithick April 26, 2018

---

The impetus to by the Russian S-400 system seems to stem from Greece's deal in 1997 to get older S-300PMU systems as part of a deal over Cypress. The impending Bill on the 35s is the response to the Turkish insistence on going ahead with the S-400 purchase more that any other criteria

[Yo-Yo]

Block transfers? Turkey is going to be BUILDING F-35s and are going to be the European Depot level maintenance.

[huldah1776]

Thanks! Great article. The War Zone is very good.

[huldah1776]

Blown away by this so I went to Lockheed...no security issues there, eh?

https://www.f35.com/global

GLOBAL PARTICIPATION

The Centerpiece of 21st Century Global Security
Since the first F-35 Lightning II rolled out of the Lockheed Martin factory in Fort Worth, Texas in 2006, the program’s reach has exponentially expanded around the globe.

Of the original nine partner countries – Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States – six have received their first jets. There are also three foreign military sale (FMS) customers - Israel, Japan and the Republic of Korea. In addition, the F-35 is being evaluated by the Belgian government as a possible replacement for their F-16 fleet and the Finnish government as a possible replacement for their F/A-18C/D fleet.

Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, UK, US, Israel and Japan have pilots and maintainers either fully trained or at some point in the training process.

Suppliers in all nine of the program’s partner countries are producing F-35 components for all aircraft, not just those for their country. And in addition to the Fort Worth plant, there are two Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facilities outside the United States: one in Cameri, Italy, where the first jet was delivered in December 2015; and another in Nagoya, Japan, where the first jet was delivered in June 2017.

[bantam]

NO WAY anything would go to Turkey!!!!!!!!!!

[Yo-Yo]

My apologies, I was mis-remembering Turkey's role. They will be building F135 engines and depot level maintenance for the F135, as well as supplying a lot of F-35 production content.

https://www.f35.com/global/participation/turkey-industrial-participation

In total for Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney, F-35 Production Industrial Participation opportunities for Turkish companies are expected to reach more than $12 billion.

Below are details on the 10 Turkish companies who have supported the development and/or production of F-35 / F135.

• Alp Aviation has been supporting the program since 2004 and currently manufactures F-35 production airframe structure and assemblies, production landing gear components and over 100 F135 production engine parts to include titanium integrated blade rotors.

• Aselsan is developing manufacturing approaches for advanced optical components, which are part of the F-35 Electro Optical Targeting System. They are also working with Northrup Grumman on the F-35 CNI Avionic Interface Controller and will initiate full scale production activities in the near term.

• Ayesas currently is the sole source supplier for two major F-35 components – missile remote interface unit and the panoramic cockpit display.

• Fokker Elmo manufactures 40 percent of the F-35 Electrical Wiring & Interconnection System (EWIS) and will also deliver and support TAI with all center section wiring systems. Fokker Elmo is also developing the EWIS for the F135 engine, for which a major share is produced in Fokker Elmo Turkey in Izmir.

• Havelsan has been supporting the F-35 training systems since 2005. Additionally, Havelsan has been instrumental as the Turkish lead for developing the construct of the future Turkish F-35 Integrated Pilot and Maintenance Training Center (ITC) and associated training systems in Turkey.

• Kale Aerospace has been supporting the F-35 since 2005. In conjunction with Turkish Aerospace Industries, they manufacture and produce F-35 airframe structures and assemblies. Kale Aero also supports Heroux Devtek as the sole source supplier for all three variants landing gear up lock assemblies. Additionally, Kale Aerospace has also established a joint venture in Izmir with Pratt & Whitney and is manufacturing production hardware for the F135 engine.

• MiKES has supported the F-35 Program during SDD delivering F-35 aircraft components and assemblies for BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman

• ROKETSAN and Tubitak-SAGE are the Turkish joint leadership team who strategically manage the development, integration, and production of the advanced precision-guided Stand-off Missile (SOM-J) which will be carried internally on the 5th Generation F-35 aircraft. Additionally, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control has partnered with Roketsan, through a teaming agreement, to jointly develop, produce, market and sell the advanced, precision guided Stand Off Missile – Joint Strike Fighter (SOM-J).

• Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has been strategically supporting the F-35 Program since 2008. The company currently supplies production hardware that goes into every F-35 production aircraft. In conjunction with Northrup Grumman, TAI manufactures and assembles the center fuselages, produces composite skins and weapon bay doors, and manufactures fiber placement composite air inlet ducts. Additionally, TAI is strategically manufacturing 45 percent of the F-35’s including Air-to-Ground Pylons and adapters which is Alternate Mission Equipment (AME).

Additionally, Turkish Industry are going to have significant Industrial Participation role supporting Lockheed Martin and Pratt and Whitney for F-35 aircraft sustainment and F135 engine production and sustainment. Turkey has been given the approval to build its own F135 engines and was also selected to have the first European Regional F135 Engine depot overhaul capability. Both the engine production and overhaul will take place at the 1st HIBM in Eskisehir. Additionally, TAI has also been assigned to represent the organic depots of the Turkish Armed Forces within the Autonomic Logistic Global Sustainment (ALGS) system and Havelsan has been assigned as the Turkish Integrator for the National Integrated Training Center (ITC).

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen"

I'll give credit where it's due. We finally have a Democrat who cares about this country. Turkey is no longer an allay, they are just another country. We need to move our base out of Incerlik, kick them out of NATO, oh and remember Bush 43 saying they should be in the EU, uh uh. I'm not one to tell the EU who they should have as members, but we shouldn't be cheerleading them on to include the enemy at the gates...

[taildragger]

I have been on this screed for over 2 years, it is about freakin’ time.....

[huldah1776]

I, too, was surprised and pleased.

[huldah1776]

I really should download the face-palm image.

[lightman]

Ping.

[riverrunner]

I could see selling them to turkey with hidden destruct devices in them that we could trigger when needed.

[huldah1776]

I don’t like the Turkish love fest with Russia and Iran.

[riverrunner]

We make millions on the sale and then if they get frisky we blow the planes up

[Magnum44]

Many nations were brought on board the “partnership” to spread the development cost of the aircraft, and lower the per unit buy cost by increasing the total production. I don’t know specifics, but I doubt seriously that any Turkish parts would be sole sourced and not replaceable from more reliable nation sources. A quick google shows that Turkey is just getting ready to produce some engine components, but clearly those are sourced from other places already.

[Ozark Tom]

Switch off the FBW stability system.