The Biden administration is getting ready to ask Congress to log off on a $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye in tandem with gross sales of F-35 fighters to Greece, in accordance with a report printed on Friday.
The sale “is larger than expected” and contains 40 F-16 fighters and modernization kits for 79 of the warplanes already in Ankara’s possession, the Wall Street Journal newspaper reported, citing nameless officers accustomed to the matter.
Ankara requested the F-16s and modernization kits in October 2021 in what was beforehand estimated to price $6 billion.
Congressional notification of the deal is anticipated to happen subsequent week when Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu pays a go to to Washington. In addition to the warplanes and up to date tools, the settlement is slated to incorporate 900 air-to-air missiles and 800 bombs, the Journal reported.
It added that the administration is not going to situation the sign-off on the package deal with out Türkiye first agreeing to Finland and Sweden‘s NATO ascension. The administration may also request that Congress approve the sale to Athens of 30 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets, which Greece initially requested in June.
The State Department and White House didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
The Congressional notification of the gross sales will kick off a 30-day window for lawmakers to boost objections. If Congress seeks to dam both of the gross sales, it must go what is called a joint decision. Lawmakers have up till the time of supply of the weapons to take action, however Congress has by no means succeeded in passing such a decision, in accordance with the Congressional Research Service.
It is unclear if Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez will oppose the sale, as he beforehand threatened to do.
