Stealth aircraft

Turkey has unveiled a life-sized mockup of its TF-X jet, a combat aircraft with several similarities to the American-built F-35 stealth fighter, the state-run Anadolou Agency reported on Monday.

The US Department of Defense has a "handshake" agreement with Lockheed Martin Co to cut 8.8 percent from the price of its latest order of F-35A fighter jet, shaving a year from the time frame in which each aircraft will cost less than $80 million, a Pentagon official said on Monday.

The US military has halted a program for training Turkish pilots on the F-35 fighter jets taking place in the United States, following a warning last week from the US State Department to Ankara, giving it until July 31 to scrap a contentious deal with Russia for the S-400 missile defense system, Foreign Policy magazine reported on Tuesday.

"The U.S. said on June 6 it would halt new pilot training on the F-35 fighter jet program with Turkey.

The United States has decided to stop accepting any additional Turkish pilots who planned to come to the United States to train on F-35 fighter jets, US officials say, in a clear sign of the escalating dispute over Ankara's plans to purchase Russian air defenses.

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.

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. 

Russia was "ready to cooperate" to sell Ankara Su-57 fighter jets if Turkey's participation in the F-35 jet program with the U.S. fell through, the head of the Russian state-owned Rostec Corporation's Sergey Chemezov said on May 2.

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.