“We are ready to activate them S-400 within 12 hours,” said its defense minister Turkey, Yasar Gulerwhile announcing the abandonment of the F-16 modernization kit purchase program, reducing the program’s budget from $20 billion. dollars to 7 billion dollars.

The Turkish Defense Minister’s statements regarding the F-35 purchase are also confusing. Guler’s statements were made to the budget committee of the Turkish parliament, as reported by Manolis Kostidis.

In detail Yasar Guler said: “In our last talks with the US, we rejected the demands of the type ‘you will do this, you will do that’ for the S-400s. All the places where we will install and use the S-400s are specified.

The places that will be installed, including the sheds where they will grow, are all ready. As soon as we give a command, it will move to whatever area we gave the command for. Within 12 hours, the entire system will be installed. It is an air defense system that is used when the threat of air attack reaches its highest level.

As part of the F16 Block 70 procurement, we made an initial payment of 1.4 billion. dollars. It was going to buy 40 F-16 Block 70 Viper aircraft and we were going to modernize 79 of them, but we changed our minds (gave it up). Because the facilities at TAI are currently capable of doing the F-16 modernization by themselves. We will buy 40 aircraft and specialized munitions, the total of which will amount to about 6.5-7 billion dollars.

We have 6 aircraft there. When the US saw that we built the KAAN and that it was flying, they changed their minds about the F-35. And they themselves state that they could give F 35. There has been no development on this matter. We also insist on the return of our production share and have expressed our desire to buy 40 F-35s.”

Spikes for the US presence in Greece

Guler also teased the US presence in Greece, saying: “On the other hand, we are closely monitoring all developments in our region, including the US military presence in Alexandroupoli, in terms of defense and security of our country and we assess their impact on our country. In this context, we know the US presence in Greece and what bases they use in Greece. The deployment of military elements by the US in Alexandroupolis affects the strategic balances in the region and directly concerns Turkey’s security policies.”