Overview
- The administration formally told Congress it intends to sell more than $700 million worth of General Electric F110 turbofan engines for Turkey’s KAAN indigenous fighter program, with the notification process beginning on June 24.
- The engines are meant to power KAAN flight testing and early production because Turkey’s planned TF35000 powerplant is not yet ready and Turkey already assembles F110s under license for F-16s.
- Representative Gregory Meeks and other lawmakers say the White House bypassed customary congressional review and criticized the move for lacking written justification, and members have signaled plans to introduce a joint resolution of disapproval during the 15-day review window.
- Vice President J.D. Vance said the administration is separately reviewing whether Turkey meets U.S. legal requirements to receive F-35 fighters, keeping the larger question of reintegration open but unresolved.
- The decision revives long-standing tensions from Turkey’s 2019 purchase of Russia’s S-400 system, which triggered sanctions and statutory bars on F-35 transfers, and could shape U.S.-Turkey relations and NATO dynamics around the Ankara summit.