Turkey seeks its legal rights for F-35s together with US companies: Defense body head

Following Turkey's suspension from the F-35 fighter jet program by the United States, Ankara is aiming to seek its legal rights in cooperation with the American firms that incurred losses or suffered an additional burden in the project's production phase, the head of Turkey's top defense procurement and development body said on March 11.

Both Turkey and some other U.S.-based companies are suffering from the burden due to the U.S. administration's decision, and it should be concluded who will cover this loss, Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) Chair İsmail Demir told a group of journalists.

The official recalled that Turkish companies were partners with American firms in the production of F-35 fighter jet parts.

"We think that this process will be more easily executable if they are also involved. Because it is not only the Turkish side that suffered here. This [decision] will add a burden of $500-600 million to the program. Prices per item will increase," he stated.

"Turkey is not the sole party that is seeking its rights. It is on the agenda to seek the rights of all companies, countries and structures that have been damaged in this process," Demir said.

Turkey has been engaging with these parties to test the waters for their position to act together, Demir emphasized.

Ankara has been making "the first contacts" to this bid and these efforts are based "on a strategy such as determining the attitudes of those involved in this process and acting together [later]," he said.

These efforts are part of an action plan by Ankara to act against the U.S decision, which suspended Turkey from the F-35 stealth jet program.

The U.S. has claimed the Russian-made S-400s defense systems that Turkey has purchased pose a...