Recently, the White House under President Joe Biden took an important step toward strengthening Turkey's military capabilities. A letter was sent to members of Congress on Wednesday in which Called for the sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft and associated modernization packages, A total of $20 billion. Information about the letter was made public by four people who knew the contents of the letter.
The timing of the correspondence is striking because it occurred after A The Turkish Parliament ratified Sweden's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday. With this Turkish move, Turkey removes a major obstacle that has hindered the expansion of the Western military alliance for 20 months. However, despite this progress, the Biden administration has not yet formally informed Congress of its intentions regarding the F-16 sale.
It is important to emphasize that the US Congress will not approve the sale of F-16 aircraft until Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signs the document voted on by Parliament.
Turkey originally expressed in October 2021 its interest in purchasing $20 billion worth of Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets and approximately 80 modernization packages for its existing aircraft. Such large foreign arms sales are subject to close scrutiny by leaders of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
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