US Approves F-16 Sale to Turkey After NATO-Sweden Accord

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp., performs maneuvers at the Singapore Airshow held at the Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018. The air show runs through Feb. 11.

(Bloomberg) — The State Department said Friday night that it had approved the long-delayed sale of F-16 warplanes to Turkey in a delicately orchestrated arrangement with Ankara supporting Sweden’s membership in NATO, and Greece buying fighters from the US.

The formal US government approval on Friday came two days after President Joe Biden sent a letter to congressional lawmakers urging them to approve the sale, valued at as much as $23 billion, which Turkey had sought since 2021.

The deal, which will allow Turkey to purchase as many as 40 Lockheed Martin Corp. F-16 Block 70 aircraft and 79 kits to modernize its existing fleet, has been stuck for months.

The State Department said in a separate announcement that Greece would be allowed to buy as many as 40 F-35 fighters in a deal valued at up to $8.6 billion.

Greece and Turkey, though both members of NATO, have long been regional rivals and their governments recently signed an agreement to foster “friendly relations” after generations of acrimony.

“The proposed sale will allow Greece to modernize its air force and improve Greece’s ability to provide for the defense of its airspace, contribute to NATO missions to preserve regional security and defend NATO Allies,” the department said.

Both Finland and Sweden had applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization security alliance after President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine heightened anxieties among Russia’s neighbors.

Yet while Finland has joined, Sweden’s bid languished after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted Stockholm do more to crack down on supporters of separatist groups outlawed in Turkey,

Biden explicitly made Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s NATO membership a prerequisite for the sale of the F-16 jets and Erdogan has also linked the issues.

Earlier: Turkey Approves Sweden NATO Bid, Leaving Hungary as Holdout

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, praised the Turkish parliament’s action, which he described as “overdue.”

He said his own approval of the sale came about despite continuing misgivings about the Erdogan government’s human rights record.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had also opposed Sweden’s entry into NATO. But this week he said the country would ratify the accession and that he would urge parliament to do so “at the first possible opportunity,” according to the leader’s post on X.

Orban commented after speaking with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday, a day after Turkey’s parliamentary ratification left Hungary as the last hold-out on the military alliance’s expansion.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which is part of the Defense Department and assists allies on military-related matters, said in a statement on Friday night that it had “delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.”

–With assistance from Courtney McBride.

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