F-35s Delivered to Turkey as Congress Considers its Next Move
(Source: Forecast International; issued June 26, 2018)
By Ray Jaworowski
The Senate’s version of the FY19 defense authorization bill includes three provisions related to Turkey and the F-35. One provision expresses the sense of the Senate that sanctions should be imposed on Turkey should it proceed with a potential deal to acquire the Russian S-400 air defense system. A second provision calls for the U.S. Defense Secretary to prepare a plan to remove Turkey from the F-35 program, and prohibits F-35 deliveries to Turkey in the meantime. The third provision requires that the Pentagon provide a briefing to congressional defense committees regarding the role of Turkish industry in the F-35 supply chain and the impact that a removal of Turkish-sourced components would have on the program.
The House version of the FY19 authorization bill would bar deliveries of major defense equipment to Turkey until the Defense Secretary submits a report on the U.S.-Turkey relationship.
Meanwhile, Senate appropriators inserted an amendment to their version of the FY19 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill that would stop F-35 deliveries to Turkey if the S-400 purchase is not canceled.
Turkey is a significant participant in the F-35 program. Overall, Turkey plans to acquire 100 F-35s, the same number as Australia. This total exceeds the planned F-35 acquisitions of all other program partners except the U.S. and the U.K. The F-35 variant being procured by Turkey is the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing version, which is the same model that is being acquired by the U.S. Air Force.
During the development of the F-35, Turkey was a Level Three participant in the program’s System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase, in which the level of participation was determined by the amount of funding that each country contributed. (Other Level Three participants were Australia, Canada, Denmark, and Norway.) Turkey contributed some $175 million to the SDD effort. In addition, Turkey contributed approximately $6.2 million to the F-35 program’s earlier Concept Demonstration Phase, which essentially involved the down-select from two JSF design concepts to one.
The structure of the F-35 program was such that, once a country became a partner in the program, the industries in that country became eligible to become F-35 suppliers. Turkish companies have significant industrial participation in the program.
Turkish industry has had considerable experience partnering with Lockheed Martin, particularly on the F-16 fighter program where Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) engaged in licensed production of that aircraft. This experience and expertise combine to make Turkish industry a valued partner on the F-35 program. Lockheed Martin has said that total F-35 industrial opportunities for Turkish companies are expected to reach $12 billion.
At least 10 Turkish companies are involved in production of the F-35 and its F135 engine. Examples include Alp Aviation (airframe structure and assemblies, landing gear components, and engine components), Ayesas (sole-source supplier for the missile remote interface unit and the panoramic cockpit display), MiKES (aircraft components and assemblies), and TAI (center fuselages, composite skins, weapon bay doors, composite air inlet ducts, and various other components).
The question thus becomes what would happen to this industrial participation should future F-35 deliveries to Turkey indeed be barred by the U.S. government. The legislation, when passed and signed into law, may or may not specifically prohibit Turkish industrial participation in the F-35 program as well. If it does not, then the future role of Turkish companies in the program becomes quite uncertain. There is apparently no formal process in place to strip a country of its workshare should its plans to acquire the aircraft be dropped (whether voluntarily or not).
Unless mandated otherwise by the U.S. government, it seems likely that work by Turkish firms would continue on F-35s already on order for various customers, and that any changes in the supply chain (if they do take place) would occur sometime down the road in regard to future F-35 orders. Work share decisions are essentially made by Lockheed Martin.
If a decision is made to reallocate Turkey’s industrial work share to other countries, this would set off a long process involving discussions between Lockheed Martin and its partners, a search for alternative sources for the affected components, and re-qualification of those components on the aircraft. It would not be impossible to accomplish, but it would be a painful and difficult process for all involved.
(ends)
U.S. Official Says Warned Turkey F-35 Jet Sales Jeopardized by Russian Deal
(Source: Radio Free Europe; issued June 27, 2018)
Turkey, which is a NATO ally, also is in danger of violating U.S. sanctions against Russia's defense sector if it goes through with the purchase, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell testified on June 26.
"We've been very clear that across the board, an acquisition of S-400 will inevitably affect the prospects for Turkish military-industrial cooperation with the United States, including F-35," Mitchell told a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on U.S. relations with Europe.
Legislation has been moving through Congress to block transfer of the F-35 jets, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, to Turkey because of its plan to purchase the Russian missile system.
Legislators have said they fear Russia will gain access to the sensitive F-35 stealth technology if Turkey uses the jets alongside the missile systems provided by Moscow.
Mitchell said President Donald Trump's administration believes it has the legal authority to withhold the transfer of the military jets to Turkey if it chooses to do so, without Congress passing legislation.
Last week, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli slammed the U.S. demand to give up the S-400 deal as "blackmail." He said that Turkey "is fulfilling all its commitments" to NATO and expected "timely deliveries of F-35 fighter jets" from the United States.
Ties between Washington and Ankara have been strained recently over a growing number of issues, including Turkey's warming ties with Russia, U.S. policy in Syria, and Turkey's jailing of two dozen U.S. citizens, including a pastor, on terrorism charges.
But Mitchell also praised Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was resoundingly re-elected over the weekend, as "a crucial ally and partner," citing Ankara's support for the Pentagon's campaign against the Islamic State extremist group.
Separately, Trump congratulated Erdogan by telephone on June 26 on his election victory and the two leaders agreed to improve bilateral defense and security ties, Erdogan's office said.
On another issue, Mitchell said the administration was concerned about China establishing potentially strategic ties with allies in Eastern and Central Europe, often as part of its so-called Silk Road initiative establishing a network of rail and shipping lines between China and Europe. China has also been actively purchasing property and companies in the region.
"The Chinese investment in Central and Eastern Europe is serious, it’s strategic and it’s growing," Mitchell said, adding that between 2005 and 2017 China invested more than $24 billion in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
"They’re competing for influence" with Russia, the European Union, and the United States, he said.
The administration is "in active, ongoing dialogue" with allies in Central and Eastern Europe to find a way to differentiate between investments that are commercial and those that create national security concerns, he said.
-ends-
from Defense Aerospace - Press releases https://ift.tt/2Mrqx60
via Defense
No comments: