US snaps up would-be Turkish F-35As
Eight F-35A fighter aircraft that were originally destined for Turkey have been ‘repositioned’ for the USAF, under a 20 July DoD contract award to Lockheed Martin.
Turkey had intended to buy 100 F-35s but the country was expelled from the programme in 2019 for acquiring the S-400 missile system from Russia.
Additionally, the DoD ordered Lockheed Martin to provide ‘recurring engineering in support of the modification of the eight Lot 14 F-35A Lightning II repositioned aircraft to a fully operationally capable F-35A Air Force configuration’.
The $861.73 million contract modification will also see the USAF procure six other Lot 14 production F-35As.
Work is to be completed by May 2026.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Boeing’s Ghost Bat clocks up the milestones and progresses as Saab Australia gets on board]()
Boeing’s Ghost Bat clocks up the milestones and progresses as Saab Australia gets on board
More than 100 hours of physical flight have taken place since the first flight of MQ-28 Ghost Bat uncrewed aerial system (UAS) four years ago and this has been underpinned by approximately 20,000 hours of flying the digital twin.
-
![Uruguayan Air Force firms up options for five more A-29 Super Tucanos]()
Uruguayan Air Force firms up options for five more A-29 Super Tucanos
The air force converted options from its original August 2024 deal for five additional aircraft, rounding its total out to six firm orders.
-
![Second Hypersonic Test Bed flight completed for US Missile Defence Agency]()
Second Hypersonic Test Bed flight completed for US Missile Defence Agency
The US Missile Defence Agency (MDA) teamed up with other Department of Defense organisations, industry and academia to conduct the test.
-
![QinetiQ wins $14 million contract to supply Vindicator drones to US Navy]()
QinetiQ wins $14 million contract to supply Vindicator drones to US Navy
The five-year contract is reportedly the largest provision of uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) support for use by the US Navy (USN) and will run until late 2029.
-
![Pentagon approves $100 million Bell 412 sale to Zambia]()
Pentagon approves $100 million Bell 412 sale to Zambia
The deal highlights Zambia’s ongoing pursuit to buy more Bell 412s to round out its diverse helicopter fleet.
-
![US Navy to explore integration of LRASMs on F-15E and F-15EX aircraft]()
US Navy to explore integration of LRASMs on F-15E and F-15EX aircraft
The contract opportunity, spearheaded by Naval Air Systems Command, intends to integrate and test the AGM-158C missile on the aircraft platform.
