The U.S. is preparing to deliver the first batch of two F-35 fighter jets to Turkey during a ceremony that will be held in Texas on Thursday, despite the Senate passing a bill blocking the delivery, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
In the statement issued, Pentagon spokesman Mike Andrews said that the inauguration ceremony will be held in Texas’s Lockheed Fort as planned on June 21, noting that the two F-35 fighter jets will then be moved to Arizona’s Luke Airforce Base, where Turkish pilots are slated to receive training on flying the state-of-art jets throughout 2019.
“Necessary contacts have been made with the U.S., and delivery of the F-35 jets will be on Thursday,” Bozdağ told reporters in the central Yozgat province on Wednesday.
Referring to recent U.S. congressional bills seeking to block the sale, he added that any attempt to make the sale conditional on the release of Andrew Brunson, a U.S. priest facing terrorism charges in Turkey, amounts to a "threat."
A total of 12 countries have taken part in the F-35 manufacturing program. Of the nine countries that participated in the joint development of the warplane, all states have already started to receive the F-35 jets with the exception of Turkey, Canada and Denmark.
The U.S. Senate passed a $716 billion defense policy bill late on Monday, taking the first step to blocking the delivery of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets to Turkey.
The Republican-controlled Senate voted 85-10 for the annual National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which authorizes U.S. military spending but is generally used as a vehicle for a broad range of policy matters.
The Senate NDAA also includes an amendment prohibiting sales to Turkey of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp unless Trump certifies that Turkey is not threatening NATO, purchasing defense equipment from Russia or detaining U.S. citizens.
The amendment claimed that purchasing the S-400 missile system from Russia increases tensions and risks to the NATO alliance. It also demands the release of American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who is facing terror charges in Turkey.
Before it can be legislated, the bill must be reconciled with one already passed by the House of Representatives. That compromise measure must then be passed by both chambers and signed into law by Trump.
