Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

Turkish F-16 warplanes will fly over the country's capital Ankara on Monday to test its new Russian S-400 missile defenses, Turkish media said, despite pressure from Washington for Turkey to drop the system. 

Turkey expects that disagreements with the United States over production of F-35 jets will be overcome, its defense minister told Reuters, adding that Ankara remained at the center of NATO despite criticism from allies of its incursion into Syria.

Turkey's alternatives to US F-35 fighter jets are available and "offers are coming in", President Recep Erdogan said, quoted by BGNES.

Ankara and Washington clashed over Turkey's acquisition of Russia's C-400 missile systems, which the US says are not compatible with NATO defense and pose a threat to Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 stealth jets.

Turkey has not given up on the U.S. F-35s, and it will not be easy to remove Ankara from the fighter jet's production program, the country's presidential spokesperson said on Sept. 10.

Turkey and the United States are still in discussions despite a decision by Washington last month to remove the country from the F-35 fighter jet program over its decision to accept delivery of an advanced Russian missile defense system, the Pentagon's procurement chief has said according to reports.

Turkey and the U.S. continue to be in discussions following the Trump administration's decision to remove the country from the F-35 program, the Pentagon's procurement chief said on Aug. 27       

The first F-16 Block 70 aircraft for the Bulgarian Air Force will be produced in December 2022, the manufacturer-company Lockheed Martin and the United States Embassy in Bulgaria announced. This aircraft will train Bulgarian pilots.

Turkey wants to expand its diplomatic presence in Asia as the region becomes the economic center of the world, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on 5 August, adding that the initiative did not mark a shift away from Western allies.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday Turkey would turn elsewhere for fighter jets if the United States will not sell it the F-35 jets, adding that a U.S. decision to cut Ankara from the program would not deter it from meeting its needs.

Turkey's military says the first phase of the delivery of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems has been completed.

The military said the delivery of a "first group" of components ended on Thursday. A second group of components is due to begin arriving in the capital Ankara soon.