Turkey says defence firms face temporary losses after F-35 removal

Turkish defense companies may face temporary losses after a U.S. decision to remove Ankara from the F-35 fighter jet program but the industry will emerge stronger, as a result, the head of Turkey's Defence Industry Directorate said on Thursday. On Wednesday the United States said it was removing Turkey from the F-35 jet program over its purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems. Turkey had ordered more than 100 of the stealth fighters and its defense companies were also involved in building the jets.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Ismail Demir said Turkish companies would evaluate how to compensate for their losses from Turkey's removal, but added that other countries involved in the F-35 program would face an additional cost of $7-8 million per jet as a result of the move. He also said Turkey would not purchase foreign defense equipment from now on unless it was absolutely necessary but did not elaborate further.

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