Turkey has left only one option of buying Russian fighters to confront the F-35 Lightning IIs that will appear in the service of the Greek Air Force.
According to the US Military Watch Magazine, in the context of increasing pressure on Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean region over a territorial dispute with Greece – which has received the support of In France and Europe defending its claims, Ankara is clearly in big trouble.
Recently, the Greek Ministry of Defense officially announced the need to buy stealth fighter F-35A from the US, because it is a NATO country, so this proposal is very easy to pass. So how can Ankara react to such a move from Athens?
Analysts said that to prepare for the situation above, Turkey is negotiating to buy Russian Su-35 fighters, even showing interest in the more advanced Su-57. However, orders for the aforementioned fighters have not been signed, so Turkey’s ability to fight the F-35 is still quite limited.
Retired Turkish Major-General Nejat Eslen said that Ankara could rely on the recent Russian-supplied S-400 long-range air defense missile system against the Greek F-35 due to its stealth capabilities. Lightning II’s infamous won’t be a hindrance to Triumf.
Previously, Turkey was not only the world’s largest foreign customer of the F-35A, but also an indispensable partner in the manufacturing program. Being excluded from the supply chain after buying the S-400 has put Turkey in uncertainty. At the same time, their project to build a domestic TF-X fifth-generation fighter has ambiguous prospects so far.
Although the S-400 was designed to neutralize modern stealth fighters, the use of ground air defenses against the Greek Air Force only guarantees the defensive tactics of the Turkish Army. Turkey. The situation could be changed with the purchase of advanced Russian fighters that will effectively complement the S-400.
It is possible that Ankara will respond to the deployment of the F-35 in Greece by purchasing the Su-35 or even the Su-57 from Russia. As the US seeks to halt the development of the Turkish-Russian defense relationship, the aforementioned actions by Ankara could be an effective deterrent against the sale of fifth generation fighters to Greece.