Turkey expects first F-35 transport in 2018, plans greater orders

ANKARA Turkey expects to take delivery of its first Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-35A fighter jets in 2018 and has decided to order a second batch, the Undersecretariat for defense Industries stated on Friday.

It did not say how many more of the fighter jets it planned to order however  U.S. officials familiar with the problem, speakme on circumstance of anonymity, told Reuters the second one batch could contain 24 jets.

The Undersecretariat stated it anticipated the new orders to be introduced in 2021 and 2022. Its declaration was launched after a meeting of its govt committee chaired via top Minister Binali Yildirim.

Lockheed is building three variants of the F-35 for the U.S. military and 10 countries that plan to shop for the jets: Britain, Australia, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, Israel, Japan and South Korea.

A Lockheed representative said the employer is "venerated" via Turkey’s persevered dedication to the F-35 software which become further established with the aid of the selection by means of the DIEC nowadays.

The U.S. part of the programme by myself is predicted to fee $379 billion. a total of 3,000 of the jets are to enter service around the arena in coming years.

Turkey had placed its first orders in 2014 with  jets and has brought every other 4 to that in 2015, according to the Undersecretariat for defense Industries website. It targets to sooner or later buy a complete of a hundred, it stated.