(Bloomberg) -- Turkey is expected to fully activate its Russian-made S-400 air defense system by year-end, solidifying the U.S. decision to remove the NATO ally from the F-35 aircraft program, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer said.
“There has been no change to return Turkey to the F-35 program,” Ellen Lord told reporters Tuesday. “The S-400 air defense system, which is incompatible with the F-35, remains in Turkey,” and “we anticipate that being fully operational toward the end of the year.”
Turkey is an original partner on the world's costliest defense program. Its planned purchases of about 100 jets made it one of the four top foreign customers for the stealthy fighter made by Lockheed Martin Corp., along with Japan, Australia and the U.K. Ten Turkish companies will be suspended from making almost 1,000 different parts for the plane with the country's expulsion.
The Russian S-400 was designed to shoot down U.S. and coalition aircraft at greater ranges and altitudes than older systems. U.S. officials are concerned that sensitive F-35 technology designed to evade such a system could be compromised and used to improve the Russian air defense system if Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, had both.
President Donald Trump seemed to raise new doubts about barring Turkey from the F-35 program amid the uproar over this decision to largely American troops in northern Syria. That move smoothed the way for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's military offensive into Syria to push back Kurdish-led forces that have helped the U.S. fight Islamic State.
“So many people conveniently forget that Turkey is a big trading partner of the United States, in fact they make the structural steel frame for our F-35 Fighter Jet,” Trump said in a tweet on Oct. 8 with no reference to its pending ouster.
Lord said Lockheed and engine maker Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp., continue to find alternate sources for the 1,000 F-35 parts. The changeover is estimated to cost about $600 million as the Pentagon seeks other suppliers, she said. Lord said the Pentagon continues to assess the per-aircraft cost impact of losing Turkey's 100 purchases but said “we think those will be relatively modest.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Capaccio in Washington at acapaccio@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert
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