The United States should not sell its high-tech F-35 fighter jet to Turkey, if Ankara moves ahead with plans to buy Russia's S-400 missile defense system, the head of U.S. European Command, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti said.
He said Turkey should reconsider its plan to buy the S-400 from Russia this year or forfeit other future American military aircraft and systems. He said Turkey’s use of the Russian surface-to-air missile defense system would be a threat to the F-35.
The top U.S. military commander for Europe said his best military advice would be that the U.S. not follow through with the F-35 sale and not work with an ally that’s acquiring Russian systems that can threaten one of the American military’s most advanced technological capabilities.
"It presents a problem to all of our aircraft, but specifically the F-35,” the AP cited Scaparrotti as saying.
