The US Department of Defense announced that the Department of State has approved the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets and related equipment to Turkiye in a USD 23 billion deal.
In a statement, the department noted that Lockheed Martin, the world's largest military contractor, is the principal contractor for the deal.
Analysts noted that the United States' approval of Turkiye's request to purchase aircraft of this model comes after the Turkish parliament approved Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) following reservations that lasted more than a year and a half on this move.
Turkiye has been seeking to purchase F-16 fighter jets from the United States for years, but the sales process has stalled due to objections from Congress, despite assurances from the Biden administration on several occasions that it supports the deal. (QNA)
International / US/Latin America
US State Department approves potential sale of F-16 jets to Turkiye
