Turkey will pay a huge price for a military equipment deal with Russia.
The US blocked Turkey from receiving equipment relating to the F-35 fighter jet until its NATO ally cancels an order of a Russian missile defence system.
Washington is deeply unhappy about Turkey’s order of Russia’s S-400 Triumf, which is among the most advanced and feared air-defense systems in the world.
At the same time, Turkey has ordered 30 of the F-35 stealth fighters and plans to buy more than 100 in total, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp.
Turkey has already “received” its first two jets, although these are currently being kept at Arizona’s Luke Air Force Base, where Turkish pilots are training with them.
“The United States has been clear that Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400 is unacceptable,” acting Pentagon spokesman Charles E. Summers Jr. said in a statement Monday. “Should Turkey procure the S-400, their continued participation in the F-35 program is at risk.”
Turkey agreed to buy the S-400 system from Russia in 2017, a deal reportedly worth $2.5 billion that’s set to begin delivery in July.
After months of warnings and ultimatums, the U.S. suspension represents the first major concrete step in trying force Turkey to rethink. This week marks the alliance’s 70th anniversary.
Vice President Mike Pence said in February that the U.S. “will not stand idly by while NATO allies purchase weapons from our adversaries.”
It is one strand of a increasingly frayed relationship between Washington and its ally that joined NATO in 1952.
The two countries have clashed over Syria, where Turkey opposes U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters who have been instrumental in the fight against ISIS.
Turkey has also been calling for the U.S. to extradite Fethullah Gulen, the exiled cleric currently holed up in a Pennsylvania compound who remains a target of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The S-400 represents arguably the most pressing of these disputes. Code-named “Growler” by NATO, the system boasts a range of 250 miles and is capable of shooting down aircraft, cruise missiles and drones up to an altitude of 100,000 feet, according to Russian state media.
The U.S. said Monday it was suspending “deliveries and activities associated” with the jet’s “operational capability,” the spokesman said. In addition, because parts of the F-35 are made in Turkey, the spokesman said the U.S. is now looking at other options for this part of the supply chain.
The ramifications of the S-400 deal could extend further, with “potential future arms transfers” to Turkey from the U.S. also being in jeopardy, a State Department spokesperson said.