Turkey: Defense Firms Undergo Losses after F-35 Removal
Turkish defense companies could face temporary losses after
Washington's decision to remove Ankara from the F-35 fighter jet program.
However, the industry will emerge stronger as a result, the
head of Turkey's Defence Industry Directorate said on Thursday.
US said it was removing Turkey from the F-35 jet program
over its purchase of Russian S-400 defence systems, Reuters reported.
Turkey had earlier ordered more than 100 of the stealth
fighters and its defense firms were also involved in building the jets.
Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Ismail Demir said Turkish
companies would evaluate how to compensate for their losses from Turkey's
removal.
He also added that other countries involved in the F-35
program would face an additional cost of $7-8 million per jet as a result of
the move.
According to Reuters, Demir revealed that Turkey would not
purchase foreign defense equipment from now on unless it was absolutely
necessary, but did not elaborate further.
