Congressional defense lawmakers barred deliveries of the fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Turkey, inserting the ban into the final version of the Pentagon’s budget blueprint for the upcoming fiscal year.
House and Senate conferees adopted the legislation, which prohibits shipments of the advanced, multi-role jet fighter to Ankara’s forces until the Pentagon delivers "an assessment of a significant change in Turkish participation in the F-35 program, including the potential elimination of such participation," the Washington Times cited defense lawmakers as saying.
The provision stipulates that the Department of Defense may not deliver any F-35 to Turkey until the report has been submitted to Congress.
