Intel: Pentagon to accept Turkey-made F-35 parts through 2022

The Pentagon will continue to accept Turkish-made parts for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter through 2022, despite the United States’ vow to kick Ankara off the program by this year.

A Defense Department spokesman told Bloomberg that a decision was made last year to allow Turkish defense manufacturers to fulfill current contracts in order to “avoid costly, disruptive and wasteful contract terminations.”

NATO member Turkey is still barred from purchasing the F-35, a decision the Trump administration announced last year in response to Ankara’s purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system.

Why it Matters:  The decision may help maintain the F-35’s already troubled production chain. Turkish firms are contracted through 2022 to manufacture more than 900 parts for the program, with 400 manufactured exclusively by Turkish suppliers.