Ankara is to order 24 additional Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said in an interview with broadcaster A Haber on Tuesday.
The fighter jets are to replace Turkey‘s fleet of F-16 aircraft. The stealth fighters are expected to be ready in 2018. Reportedly, Ankara is planning to acquire a total 116 F-35 jets.
Turkey’s armament move has caused unease in Athens in light of recent comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who challenges the sovereignty of Greek islands and disputes the Treaty of Lausanne.
In early September, during the Thessaloniki International Fair, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos had stressed the need for Greece to update its fighter planes to answer to Turkey’s modernization of its jet fighter fleet.
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