The US Department of State announced Saturday it has decided to approve a sale of avionics software upgrades for Turkey’s existing F-16 fleet. The deal, valued at an estimated $259 million, is the first military equipment sale to Turkey in years. Turkey has also requested new F-16s and nearly 80 …
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US Senator Menendez: Turkey doesn’t deserve to get F-16 jets
Bob Menendez, US Senator and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sharply criticized Turkey on its stance towards NATO enlargement, its relations with Greece and Cyprus, and its human rights record, saying it does not “deserve” to acquire new fighter jets from the United States. The comment was made …
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Senators ask Biden to link F-16 sale to Ankara to NATO enlargement
Two US Senators are asking President Joe Biden to link the issue of NATO enlargement with the request submitted by Turkey for the upgrade and purchase of new F-16 fighter jets. In the letter authored by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican colleague Thom Tillis of North …
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Neither F-16s nor F-35s for Turkey, USA makes clear
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez expressed his clear opposition to the sale of F-16 fighters jets to Turkey warning that he will veto such a decision by the Biden administration. Speaking to Mega TV, Menendez said that the U.S. State Department should adopt a firmer stance toward …
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US Congress sends Turkey message about overflights in Greece
The US Congress sent a clear message to Turkey that a NATO member-state should not carry out overflights against another member of the Alliance. The message was sent in the explanatory text of the Fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which, however, did not include an amendment to …
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“S-400 missiles are ready for action,” says Turkey’s Defense Minister
Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that the S-400 air defense system purchased from Russia are ready for action to “defend against imminent threats to Ankara.” “The S-400 is in place and ready for use,” Akar told the parliament’s planning and budget committee in Ankara Tuesday, state-run news agency anadolu …
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Spectacular F-16 triple roll and thrilling message on Ochi Day (video)
With an impressive triple roll with an F-16 fighter jet and a thrilling message to Greeks, “ZEUS” squadron leader Chistrodoulos Giakoumis honored the national Ochi Day on October 28, 2022. Video released by the Hellenic Air Force: F-16 Cockpit Video and F-16 triple roll seen from the ground, Th epilot’s …
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US Senate drops amendments restricting F-16 sale to Turkey
Two amendments introduced by Democratic Senators Bob Menendez and Chris van Hollen restricting the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey have been dropped from the Senate version of the annual US defense spending bill. The Senate formally kicked off debate Tuesday on the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), …
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Greece dismisses Turkey’s claims “S-300 radar locked Turkish F-16”
Greece dismissed on Sunday Turkey’s claims that a radar of air defense system S-300 locked on Turkish F-16s in the Aegean Sea. The incident allegedly took place on August 23, Ankara claimed. Citing sources from the Turkish Defense Ministry, news agency anadolu reported that “Turkish F-16 fighter jets were harassed …
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78 Turkish violations of Greek airspace on a single day
A barrage of Greek airspace violations by Turkish fighter jets: 78 violations, 8 “dog fights” and 2 overflights on a single day. Of the 27 Turkish aircraft that flew over the Aegean Sea, 15 were armed, the Greek General Staff said on Tuesday. 23 of the 27 in total were …
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Turkish fighter jets conduct 72 violations of Greece’s airspace on a single day
Turkish fighter jets and other aircraft conducted a total of 72 violations of Greek airspace and infringement of the FIR Athens in less than 24 hours on Thursday.. According to Greek military sources, eight Turkish Air Force F-16s, three UAVs and two ATR-72 maritime patrol turbo-prop planes engaged in 72 …
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Code Renegade: Greek F-16s take off for “suspicious” civilian airplane (Video)
Code Renegade set Greek authorities on alert following a relevant signal by the NATO air control center in Spain (CAOC Torrejón), to intercept a civilian aircraft that was not answering calls and not talking on the radio. code Renegade is usually a distress signal that a plane has been hijacked. …
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Turkish F-16 and other aircraft violate Greece’s airspace 52 times
Turkish fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles violated the Air Traffic Rules in the Athens FIR and the national airspace of Greece a total of 52 times on Wednesday. According to a statement issued by the Greek General Staff, 18 Turkish F-16 fighter jets, ATR-72 anti-submarine warfare vessels and unmanned …
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U.S. House backs measure that would restrict sale of F-16s to Turkey
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation that would create a new hurdle for President Joe Biden’s plan to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. The House approved the measure, offered by Democratic Representatives Frank Pallone and Chris Pappas, as an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization …
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35 US lawmakers oppose sale of F-16 to Turkey; letter to Joe Biden
A group of 35 bipartisan lawmakers in US Congress sent a letter to President Joe Biden expressing their opposition to the proposed sale of F-16 fighter planes to Turkey. US Representative Frank Pallone (Democrats) posted a copy of the letter on Twitter, saying that, “We must not support Turkey’s military …
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US lawmakers table amendment to block sale of F-16s to Turkey
A bipartisan group of US legislators have filed amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would prevent the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey if Ankara continues its territorial overflights and air space violations in the Aegean. The amendment was submitted to Congress at the initiative of …
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Erdogan: “Greece must be held accountable for Turkish airspace violations”
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that Greece has violated Turkish airspace 147 times and it needs to be held accountable for this. He was speaking at a news conference in Madrid at the end of a NATO summit. It was not immediately clear over what time period the …
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Greece’s Armed Forces to acquire Harpoon anti-ship missiles
Greece’ Parliamentary Armament Committee has given the green light for the acquisition of 50 “Harpoon” anti-ships, surface-to-air missiles. The regular Harpoon uses active radar homing and flies just above the water to evade defenses Until recently, the US had refused to release these missiles to Greece. The constant request of …
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Biden thanks Erdogan, says he will resolve the F-16 issue
The Biden administration threw its support behind the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, a day after Ankara lifted a veto of NATO membership for Finland and Sweden, and while US president Joe Biden was holding a meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Speaking at a briefing …
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FM Dendias: “Upgrade of Turkish arsenal by USA is a problem for Greece”
“The upgrade of Turkish arsenal by the USA is a problem,” Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told the Parliament on Thursday, during the debate on the Mutual Defense Agreement between Greece and the USA scheduled to be ratified today. In the shadow of the “rumored” decision of the Biden administration …
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