LIGHTNING IITHE FIGHTER EVOLUTION - F-35

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F-35 LIGHTNING II Operator profile – Turkey

he first F-35A for the Türk Hava

Kuvvetleri (Turkish Air Force)

made its maiden flight at Lockheed

Martin’s Fort Worth facility on May 10,

2018. The Lightning II was piloted by
      US Navy test pilot CDR Tony Wilson.
      Aircraft serial 18-0001 (AT-01) took off
      at 14.47hrs and landed at 16.00hrs.
      Turkey took delivery of its first F-35A
      during an official handover event in the

US on June 21. Currently, two Turkish

Air Force pilots are training at Luke

Air Force Base, and the first pair of

Lightning IIs is scheduled to arrive in

Turkey in September 2019 to join 171 Filo

‘Korsan’ and 172 Filo ‘Sahin’ at Erhac.

Turkey has an eventual requirement for

100 F-35s and is one of six prime Joint

Strike Fighter partner nations. Ankara

is a full partner in the programme, and

the country has been selected to host

the hub for F135 engine overhaul for

all European Lightning II operators.

Meanwhile, two US senators have drafted a

bill that seeks to prevent the transfer of F-35s

to Turkey. The move has been prompted by

“rapidly deteriorating” relations between

Washington and Ankara and concerns that

Turkey may share sensitive information

about the F-35 with Russia. As well as

The Turkis h Air Force has plans to become a major operator of the F-35.

However, amid deteriorating relations with the US, some in Washington are

now looking to block deliveries.

TURKISH TENSIONS

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