NOURNESW- The US Court of Auditors emphasized that while negotiations were under way to increase production and reduce aircraft production costs, there was a discrepancy between the production process and the estimation of the standards of the US Court of Audit. Especially in the process of body production, only 3,000 of the 10,000 bodies meet the standards. More than 500 aircraft that have entered the runway are still unreliable and unstable. Although the contractor has made changes to solve these problems and increase productivity in production processes, there is still a long way to go.
If Turkey withdraws from the program, the production process will be jeopardized
The report from the US Court of Auditors states that removing Turkey from the list of participants in the F-35 fighter production program will jeopardize the production process because Ankara has purchased anti-aircraft defense systems from Russia. 1005 pieces were purchased from Turkish manufacturers and now we have a serious problem in preparing 15 pieces.
In a letter to Congress on the defense budget, James Mattis, the then US Secretary of Defense, opposed the proposal to exclude Turkey from the F-35 fighter program.
In a letter written on July 7, 2018, Matisse emphasized his concerns about the defense budget, known as the National Defense Permit Bill: "At this stage, I oppose Turkey's withdrawal from the F-35 program."
In a letter to the Senate and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he said efforts to pull Turkey out of the program were aimed at destroying the F-35's international supply chain.
"Turkey is one of our closest allies in NATO and has been a F-35 fighter since 2002 and has invested $ 1.2 billion in it," Matisse said. The country has helped supply the fighter with a supply chain of 100 F-35s. Withdrawing Turkey from the program could lead to the destruction of this supply chain for the US military and our partners. It can also increase other costs of the program. If Turkey withdraws from the program, there is a possibility that the construction of this fighter will be stopped. This could also lead to delays in the delivery of 50 to 75 F-35s, and the refueling of parts made in Turkey will take 18-24 months. Authorities have also consulted with Ankara officials on the purchase of the S-400 missile system (from Russia) and the case of Rev.
ISNA
NOURNEWS