Posted on 09/16/2019 4:19:07 AM PDT by Zhang Fei
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday it is “not fair” to either Turkey or the United States that Washington cannot sell Ankara billions of dollars worth of F-35 fighter jets after it bought a Russian air defense system.
Turkey started taking delivery of Russia’s S-400 air defense system last week in defiance of U.S. warnings that the Pentagon would kick it out of the F-35 stealth fighter program
Washington’s concern is that deploying the S-400 with the F-35 would allow Russia to gain too much inside information of the stealth system.
Thomas Karako, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the F-35 — the most advanced fighter jet in the U.S. arsenal — flies with an exaggerated radar signature, making it difficult to track.
“Turkish operation of the two systems together — and more specifically, when it is in stealth mode — would allow the S-400 to acquire intimate knowledge of the F-35’s radar signature,” Karako wrote.
“Such insights would almost immediately find (their) way back to Russia, and the capability of F-35s around the world could thereby be degraded.”
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has publicly suggested that Trump was not in step with others in his administration on punitive actions against Ankara. Erdogan said on Sunday Trump had the authority to waive sanctions.
Ankara has frequently played up what it sees as the strong relationship between Erdogan and Trump as a way of overcoming differences between the two countries.
Trump acknowledged those ties on Tuesday, even as he played down any idea that he was trying to “stick up for Turkey.”
“I don’t stick up for countries. I don’t stick up for Turkey. I don’t stick up - other than I’ve had a good relationship with President Erdogan,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Then sell them the advanced F-16s we’re selling to Taiwan.
I dont trust Turkey.
Turkey will let Russia have access to them.
I think we have some “Certified Pre-Owned” F-4s settin’ around collecting dust somewhere.
Note the lying MSM’s extracted quote from Trump is “not fair”. Where is the rest of what Trump actually said?
I think we are better off selling rocks to turkey and giving them a map to Palestine
I think it would be fine to sell them to Turkey. BUT before they ship, let the Boeing engineers install some 737 MAX software that can be triggered remotely.
Turkey is not to be trusted. Selling them F-35s is a bad idea with or without the S-400s.
What’s “not fair” is for NATO member Turkey to be buying missiles from Russia. Why doesn’t Trump say that???
Turkey don’t need no F-35’s.
Thanks Zhang Fei. This is some more 3D or 4D chess.
“Then sell them the advanced F-16s we’re selling to Taiwan.”
They build their own. They are one of the few countries that builds local copies of the F-16. They even export them.
Turkey is / was ISIS, no turkey no ISIS, Wrdogan is a radical Islamic dictator wanna be. He is using his NATO membership and Western vs Russian struggle for all it’s worth. ISIS could have never existed without Turkey, Turkey hates the Kurds and makes no distinction between the Syrian and Itagi Kurds
Anyone who watched the movie Laurence of Arabia, or has served with Turks knows to a man they are 99% percent unrepentant homos and thus they will screw everyone they cone in contact the Ruskies and US Cowboys.
WTF?! Why would you sell a jihadist regime anything?
They already have RF-4Bs yhat flew in the Marine Corps until the 80s
Turkey is not an ally to be trusted, especially with top shelf hardware.
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