Trump Hints at F‑35 and Engine Green Light for Turkey, Testing NATO Tech Security and Ankara’s Fighter Ambitions
President Trump is signaling he may soon approve the sale of F‑35 jets and F‑110 engines to Turkey, even as his own vice president says the deal is under review with "several conditions" attached. Ankara wants the engines to power its indigenous KAAN fighter and eventually replace some F‑16s, turning this decision into a test of NATO’s technology sharing and leverage over a crucial but often fractious ally. The story breaks down the competing pressures in Washington, Ankara’s plans, and the risks U.S. officials are weighing.
Washington is edging toward a pivotal decision over whether to restore Turkey’s access to some of the most advanced U.S. military aviation technology, in a move that could reshape Ankara’s air power and reopen arguments inside NATO about how far to trust President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with sensitive systems.
President Donald Trump has hinted he will soon approve the sale of F‑35 fighter jets and F‑110 jet engines to Turkey, after years of friction that saw Ankara ejected from the F‑35 program over its purchase of Russia’s S‑400 air defense system. The signals from Trump suggest he is inclined to move past that rupture, tying Turkey back into America’s top-tier weapons ecosystem at a time when the alliance is under pressure on multiple fronts.
Yet U.S. Vice President JD Vance has made clear that the process is not a rubber stamp. He said Defense Secretary Pete and his team are still examining the proposed F‑35 sale because “there are several conditions that we need to” address, indicating internal debate over the terms under which any deal might go forward. That scrutiny reflects enduring concerns in Washington about technology leakage, Turkey’s balancing between NATO and Russia, and Ankara’s own regional posture.
Turkey’s ambitions go beyond simply adding F‑35s to its inventory. It also wants F‑110 jet engines to power its homegrown KAAN fighter jet program, which is designed to replace some of its aging F‑16 fleet. Supplying those engines would give Turkish industry a crucial building block for its next-generation aircraft and deepen defense-industrial interdependence with the United States at a time when Ankara has been pushing for greater autonomy.
For Ankara, securing F‑35s and F‑110s would be a strategic win on several levels. It would upgrade its air force, support domestic development of the KAAN platform, and signal a political thaw with Washington after disputes over Syria, Russian systems and democratic backsliding. It would also strengthen Turkey’s hand in regional competitions in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Middle East, where air power and strike capabilities are central to deterrence.
For Washington and other NATO allies, the calculus is more complicated. Backers of the sale see Turkey as too important to push further toward Moscow, arguing that engagement through high-end defense cooperation is a way to anchor Ankara in the Western camp. Critics warn that transferring America’s most advanced fighter technology to a government that has shown willingness to play both sides could expose secrets, compromise alliance air defenses, or embolden Erdoğan in disputes with fellow NATO members such as Greece.
The debate has spilled into the public sphere. Conservative commentator Mark Levin, addressing Trump, urged the U.S. not to hand “our best technology to Erdogan,” reflecting a strand of domestic opposition that marries concerns over technology security with reservations about Turkey’s human rights record and foreign policy choices. Such voices add political cost to any decision that appears to reward Ankara without clear concessions in return.
What is at stake is not just the aircraft themselves but the direction of the U.S.–Turkey relationship at a time when NATO is facing concurrent challenges from Russia, instability in the Middle East and a rapidly evolving military technology race. High-end systems like the F‑35 are more than platforms; they are, in effect, membership cards to an inner circle of countries that share sensitive code, tactics and industrial supply chains.
Key signals to watch next include whether the administration outlines explicit conditions for any F‑35 transfer—such as limits on other arms deals, data protections, or commitments regarding Russia—how Congress reacts to a potential approval, and whether Turkey links its cooperation on other NATO priorities to progress on the jets and engines. The eventual shape of any deal will reveal how Washington balances alliance unity, technology security and the desire to keep a difficult partner close rather than pushing it further away.
Sources
- OSINT