Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

Japan plans to purchase 105 F-35 American fifth-generation fighters, US President Donald Trump said. This will make the Land of the Rising Sun a state ally of the US with the largest air fleet with such machines.

The Kremlin on Wednesday condemned as unacceptable an alleged US ultimatum to Turkey designed to force it to cancel a deal to buy Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems and purchase US Patriot missile systems instead.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said he sees an improvement in talks with the United States over the purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems and US F-35 fighter jets, but added that Ankara was also preparing for potential US sanctions.

Turkey's efforts are ongoing to build facilities to service jointly-developed F-35 fighter jets, the country's defense industries chief said on May 14.

Turkey is discussing with the United States setting up a working group to assess the impact of its purchase of Russian missile defences systems, but will not delay their delivery, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

The Pentagon may halt manufacturing support for the F-35 fighter jet in Turkey if Ankara insists on purchasing the Russian S-400 missile defense system, US Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Friday, according to Agence France-Presse. 

The United States will impose sanctions on Turkey and freeze the delivery of American-made F-35 fighter jets if the country proceeds with the acquisition and deployment of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, US Senator Robert Menendez told Kathimerini's executive editor Alexis Papachelas in an exclusive interview.

Turkey is not just a client of U.S. F-35 fighter jets but also its technology partner, Turkish presidential spokesman said on April 18.

The first overseas flight for the Lightning Force's F-35 stealth fighters will take place in the eastern Mediterranean when they are expected to touch down in Akrotiri this summer.

The acquisition by Greece of US-made F-35 fighter jets will hinge on the country's fiscal plans and Washington's ability to offer a long-term payment framework, reliable sources said Friday.