US officially kicks Turkey out of F-35 program over Russian S-400s
The United States officially kicked Turkey out of its F-35 fighter jet training program on Wednesday, according to Al Arabia news network. It is reminded that Washington sanctioned Turkey’s military procurement agency in December over Ankara’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile system despite previous warnings that such a system could be used to collect data on the US F-35 fighter jet.
Asked for confirmation that the Pentagon notified Turkey of the official expulsion, a Defense Department official said Washington’s position had not changed.
“The S-400 is incompatible with the F-35, and Turkey has been suspended from the program. We continue to move forward with the process of formally removing Turkey from the F-35 partnership, as announced in July 2019,” Defense Department spokesperson Jessica Maxwell told Al Arabiya English.