(Military.com) Oriana Pawlyk - In a letter to Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar, U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Thursday gave Turkey one last chance to cancel its planned order of the Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system before it is removed from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Undersecretary of Defense Ellen Lord said Friday, "The U.S. was disappointed to learn that Turkey sent personnel to Russia to train on the Russian system. The S-400 is incompatible with the F-35." Turkish industries produce 937 parts for the F-35, including items for the landing gear and fuselage. Discussions to find alternate sources are "well underway," Lord said.
2019-06-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive