US To Complete Phasing Out Production Of F-35 Parts In Turkey Within 1 Year - Nuland

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2021) The United States is set to complete the phasing out of the F-35 jet parts produced in Turkey within a year and ramp up production in other places in order not to hurt the line globally, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said in a congressional testimony on Wednesday.

"We are in a phase out part as you know after we ended the F-35 engagement. There were supply chain reasons to phase out the spare parts including the need to ramp up production elsewhere so that we didn't hurt the line globally," Nuland told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "I think we are within a year of not sooner of being finished there."

Nuland said Turkey took a significant economic and security hits from being suspended from the F-35 program as well as in terms of future jobs and potential exports.

"So, and particularly at a time when the Turkish economy is hurting in other areas, it was an interesting decision by the government," she added.

In April, US Defense Department spokesperson Jessica Maxwell told Sputnik that The United States is in the process of formally removing Turkey from the F-35 jet program even though it initially announced it would do so in July 2019.

The decision came as a result of Turkey's decision to purchase Russian-made S-400 air defense systems instead of the American Patriot missiles. The US Senate passed a bill blocking the delivery of F-35 jets to Turkey on June 18, 2018, while the US government stopped all Turkish pilots training on the F-35 jet in the summer of 2019.