Erdogan: Turkey to turn elsewhere if US will not sell F-35s

[fallstuff]

Turkey May Rethink Boeing Plane Orders, Erdogan Says




Turkey’s president said his government may have to “rethink” existing orders for Boeing Co. airplanes worth about $10 billion, in comments that reflect the country’s strained ties with the U.S.

Turkey’s hesitation on the Boeing order adds to tension created when the country ordered a missile defense system from Russia, spurning an offer for Ankara to buy U.S. air-defense missiles.

“I’ve told Mr. Trump in Osaka that even if Turkey’s not buying Patriots, it’s buying Boeings. We’re good customers,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday in Ankara, referring to Raytheon’s Patriot systems. “But if it goes on like this, we’ll have to rethink about this issue.”

Erdogan spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump at the G-20 summit, during which he reminded him of existing orders for 100 Boeing jets by Turkish Airlines, the nation’s flagship carrier where the government holds a 49% stake. Turkey has since begun receiving the S-400 missile defense systems from Russia, which the U.S. has long said is incompatible with the its role as a NATO member and purchases of U.S. F-35 fighter jets.


Turkish Airlines in March 2018 said it’ll buy 25 of Boeing’s 787-9 jets, scheduled for delivery by 2023. In 2013, it had announced a decision to purchase 75 of the 737 MAX jets, the grounded airplanes involved in two fatal crashes. Five of these were delivered in the first quarter this year, with the rest set to be delivered by the end of 2023.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-rethink-order-for-boeing-planes-erdogan-says

 

[Rusty]

maybe pie in the sky, but this is a great chance for a bunch of Muslim countries to get together and set up aero space companies.
Their products will be inferior for a while, but you have to start somewhere.

 

[Cookie Monster]

maybe pie in the sky, but this is a great chance for a bunch of Muslim countries to get together and set up aero space companies.
Their products will be inferior for a while, but you have to start somewhere.

If Turkey is in a hurry to develop true 5th gen capability then Turkey can team up with European countries(IMO Turkey shouldn't go for PAKFA). With this Turkey would have a technologically advanced platform rather soon. This however carries with it the risk of western European countries potentially doing the same thing as US in case of F35(especially if under US pressure).

If on the other hand Turkey chooses the more reliable option like partnering with countries like Pakistan, Indonesia, possibly Qatar and others...then it's better and more reliable in the long run...however this option would take a much longer time to develop a new gen platform. I prefer that Turkey chooses this option and in the meantime go for JF17s block IIIs to make up numbers and to replace their F4s. In absence of F35 and therefore a qualitative edge...and any alternative of it being distant...Turkey might as well go for quantitative edge.

 

[VCheng]

I’ve told Mr. Trump in Osaka that even if Turkey’s not buying Patriots, it’s buying Boeings. We’re good customers. .... But if it goes on like this, we’ll have to rethink about this issue.

Airbus makes perfectly acceptable alternatives to Boeing passenger jets. Please consider them instead.