Key lawmakers signal allowing Turkey’s purchase of F-16s: US media

If Turkey "plays its cards right," it can convince the U.S. Congress to allow a roughly $6 billion purchase of 40 Block 70 F-16 fighter jets and approximately 80 modernization kits from Lockheed Martin to upgrade its existing fleet, the Defense News reported referring to comments by Congress members.

Recalling that Turkey's purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defense system prompted Congress to lead the way in kicking Ankara of the F-35 stealth fighter jet program, Defense News said Turkey's support for Ukraine, most notably via the export of armed drones and diplomacy with Russia, has presented Ankara with an opportunity to bolster its tarnished image in Congress.

The media outlet reported that several key lawmakers who proved instrumental in expelling Turkey from the F-35 program have "cautiously signaled" to Defense News that they may be inclined to allow Ankara to purchase the F-16s after the Biden administration suggested that such a sale could serve NATO and U.S. security interests.

"We need to talk and work with Turkey and others that are working with us against Russia," House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., told Defense News. "They've shown some movements in the right direction. There are other things that we still need to work with Turkey, certain things that still irritate us at times."

Other Democrats and Republicans who worked to legislate Turkey out of the program have also signaled that they would not use their power to block a potential F-16 sale, according to the media outlet.

"I've talked to several of the parties involved in this," Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, told Defense News. "The Turks have made a credible argument for why they...