Turkish media are reporting on local speculation that Turkey is working on a formula that would see Ankara sideline its acquired Russian S-400 missiles in order to persuade the US to lift its ban on the country acquiring F-35 fighter planes.

Cumhuriyet on August 27 reported that the word in Turkey’s “lobbies” is that Ankara has suggested to Washington that the S-400 missile defence systems purchased from the Kremlin five years ago could be placed in secure storage with the US given the right to monitor their status on an ongoing basis.

US media, meanwhile, have lately reported on possible resales of the systems to India or Pakistan. Sales to either of these two countries might not anger Moscow.

The US threw Nato member Turkey out of the component manufacturing and development programme for the F-35—a Lockheed Martin stealth plane that is the world’s most advanced fighter jet—after the Erdogan administration rejected its request that it should refrain from going through with the $2.5bn purchase of the missile systems from the Russians because the missile defence technology could prove a security threat to the performance data of the F-35 and was not compatible with systems used by Nato allies. It also banned Turkey from obtaining any of the jets.

The F-35 is the world's most advanced fighter jet (Credit: US Air Force Staff Sgt Katerina Slivin, public domain).

Since then Turkey has watched with some envy as regional rival Greece has moved ahead with F-35 orders that will likely give it air superiority over its neighbour across the Aegean. Ankara has also remained shy of openly displaying the S-400 hardware delivered by Moscow. In late 2020, Turkey would not even “deny or confirm” that it had test-fired some S-400s.

A high-level official at the US Embassy in Ankara, reached by Cumhuriyet, did not deny the claims about the warehousing and oversight-monitoring of the S-400s and said: “The ball is now in Turkey’s court.”

He reportedly reiterated Washington’s conditions for a sale of F-35s to Turkey, saying: “The requirements for Turkey’s purchase of the F-35s are well known.” 

Insiders spoken to by Cumhuriyet said the Turkish government was seeking to acquire one squadron of  F-35As and one squadron of  F-35Bs.

US Ambassador to Ankara Jeff Flake was reported as saying: “We welcome any progress toward resolving the S-400 matter and are open to renewing discussions on Türkiye’s involvement in the F-35 programme.”