Ankara, Turkey. President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to proceed with the sale of dozens of General Electric jet engines to Turkey, despite objections from some members of the U.S. Congress, according to four sources familiar with the matter. The move is seen as an important gesture toward Ankara ahead of a NATO summit there next month.
Engine sale and KAAN program
The engines, produced by General Electric, will power Turkey’s first indigenous combat jet, KAAN, a major project launched in 2016 as part of Ankara’s effort to become more self-sufficient in defense. One of the sources said the package will be worth more than $700 million.
Broader U.S.-Turkey defense tensions
Turkey and the United States have generally maintained warm ties under Trump, who has regularly praised Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. However, relations have been strained by a long-running dispute over Washington’s decision to remove Turkey from the F-35 stealth fighter program and impose sanctions after Ankara acquired Russian-made S-400 air defense systems, which the United States says pose a security threat.
Trump comments and analyst view
Asked on Wednesday about the jet engines, the F-35 program and his plans for the summit in Ankara, Trump said: “I’m going to probably do something that will make them very happy.”
Analysts said the engine sale would likely be welcomed in Ankara but would still fall short of Turkey’s broader objective of rejoining the F-35 program.
“Acquiring the engines is certainly important for Turkey, but it is also the lowest-hanging fruit for a U.S. administration that has made far more ambitious promises to Ankara, including Turkey’s return to the F-35 program,” said Gonul Tol, director of the Washington-based Middle East Institute’s Turkish program.
“The real test of whether Washington and Ankara can open a new chapter in bilateral relations lies there,” Tol said.
F-35 and S-400 dispute
U.S. law does not allow Turkey to operate or possess the S-400 system if it wants to rejoin the F-35 program. However, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said in December that the warm relationship between Trump and Erdogan had helped both sides hold “the most fruitful conversations we have had on this topic in nearly a decade.”
The Turkish foreign ministry declined to comment.
NATO summit backdrop
Turkey will host NATO leaders amid tensions within the alliance over burden-sharing, defense spending and U.S. complaints about allies’ role in efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open during the U.S.-Iran war.