WASHINGTON: The White House confirmed Wednesday that Turkey would be excluded from NATO’s F-35 stealth fighter jet program after it purchased a Russian missile defense system in defiance of warnings from Western allies.
“Unfortunately, Turkey’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible,” White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.
The US-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighter “cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities,” she added.
Turkey’s foreign ministry termed the move “unfair,” saying in a statement that “this one-sided step neither complies …read more
Source: Pakistan Today
