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As reported by ANA-MPA and ERT’s Lena Argyri, the US State Department has officially notified Congress of its approval for the sale of certain components related to the flight safety of Turkish F-16 fighters.
It is important to note that there is no approval for the Turkish F-16Vs that were blocked by Senator Bob Menendez, and such claims have been found to be misinformation.
The notification sent to Congress pertains to an earlier request for the purchase of defense equipment worth $260 million, which is not connected to the $20 billion request for the upgrade of Turkey’s older F-16s and purchase of new F-16V fighter jets. The approval granted by the State Department relates primarily to upgrades for the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS) and Link 16 (MIDS-LVT BU2), which are estimated to cost $259 million.
It is worth mentioning that the State Department has not yet sent official notification to Congress regarding the larger request for the upgrade of F-16s to F-16Vs and procurement of new fighters, due to existing objections.
The sale of defense equipment to Turkey has been a contentious issue in the US in recent years, with concerns around Turkey’s human rights record, its occupation of Cyprus, its local challenges, and its strategic alignment with Russia, particularly troubling for the US.
Based on credible reports, such as that of Lena Argyri, it can be confirmed that Turkey has not yet been approved the upgrade of its existing F-16s fleet or new F-16Vs (F-16 Vipers).
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