US Senate defense bill would bar Turkey from buying F-35 jets

A U.S. Senate committee passed its version of a $716 billion defense policy bill on Thursday, including a measure to prevent Turkey from purchasing Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets.

The amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, from Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Senator Thom Tillis, would remove Turkey from the F-35 program.

Washington has cited Turkey’s agreement with Russia to buy S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries as an excuse for the bill. Ankara wants the system to boost its defense capabilities amid domestic terror threats and conflicts across its borders in Syria and Iraq.

"There is tremendous hesitancy (about) transferring sensitive F35 planes and technology to a nation who has purchased a Russian air defense system designed to shoot these very planes down," said Senator Shaheen, openly declaring U.S. fear of the Turkey-Russia agreement.

Turkey has said it would retaliate if the United States enacted a law halting weapons sales to the country. "If the United States imposes sanctions on us or takes such a step, Turkey will absolutely retaliate," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on May 6.

Turkey plans to buy more than 100 of the F-35 jets, and has had talks with Washington about the purchase of Patriot missiles.

The NDAA is several steps from becoming law. The House of Representatives passed its version of the legislation earlier on Thursday. The Senate must still pass its version of the bill and the two versions must be reconciled before a final compromise bill can come up for a vote in both the House and Senate later this year.