Washington arms Turkey's KAAN fighter ahead of the Ankara summit

Introduction: a sale that speaks louder than any speech

The State Department notifies Congress

Dear reader, let me tell you what quietly played out in Washington on June 24, 2026. That day, the US State Department formally notified Congress of its intent to sell Turkey dozens of General Electric F110 engines, in a deal valued at more than $700 million. This notification, revealed by a State Department source consulted by Reuters, concerns Turkey's fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet program.

I'm writing this open letter because this seemingly technical move says a great deal about the reshaping of alliances within NATO. As the Alliance prepares for its summit in Ankara, this major sale signals a clear intent by the Trump administration to tighten ties with a Turkish ally that is sometimes difficult, but strategically indispensable.

Why this sale matters for the KAAN program's future

The KAAN fighter, developed by Turkish manufacturer Turkish Aerospace Industries, has already landed its first export customer with Indonesia, which signed a contract for 48 aircraft in July 2025. But without reliable Western engines, this ambitious program would remain crippled. General Electric's F110 engines are therefore a cornerstone piece for giving the KAAN real operational credibility on the international stage.

This sale also comes after the signing, in October 2025, of a contract for 20 Eurofighter Typhoons, proof that Turkey is actively diversifying its military procurement sources while pursuing its own national program.

The diplomatic backdrop: Ankara, between tension and necessity

A long-troubled Turkish-American relationship

It's worth recalling that relations between Ankara and Washington have seen serious tension in recent years, notably after Turkey's acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system, which led to its exclusion from the F-35 program. This sale of F110 engines therefore looks like a calculated thaw, without reintegrating Turkey into the F-35 program at this stage.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has insisted that the NATO summit in Ankara must serve as a platform to strengthen the Alliance's unity and resilience, a statement that carries particular weight as Turkey simultaneously negotiates its regional military role and its influence over the Syrian file.

The Ankara summit, a test for NATO cohesion

This summit comes amid a climate in which several analysts, notably those cited by The Economist, are questioning NATO's ability to effectively defend Eastern Europe as the United States appears to want to gradually reduce its direct military footprint on the continent. In this context, every reassuring gesture toward an ally like Turkey takes on amplified symbolic value.

Because of its unique geographic position between Europe, the Middle East, and the Black Sea, Turkey remains an unavoidable strategic pivot for any Western security architecture facing Russian ambitions in the Black Sea and the Caucasus.

The KAAN program: Turkish industrial ambition

A fighter built for strategic independence

The KAAN embodies Turkey's ambition to build a fully sovereign defense aerospace industry. This fifth-generation fighter is meant to gradually replace Turkey's aging fleet of F-16s, while giving Ankara an export capability toward third countries that would rather not depend exclusively on American or European suppliers.

The contract signed with Indonesia for 48 aircraft represents a major commercial validation for this program, showing that third countries see the KAAN as a credible alternative to costlier Western fighters or ones subject to stricter export restrictions.

Engines, the historic weak link

Historically, propulsion has always been the Achilles' heel of Turkish military aviation programs. Without guaranteed access to high-performance Western engines, the KAAN risked remaining a project of limited ambition. The F110 engine agreement therefore lifts a major uncertainty that weighed on the program's long-term credibility with potential export customers.

This technological dependence also underscores the limits of the strategic autonomy Ankara claims: even a country that invests massively in its defense industrial base remains dependent on critical technologies held by a small handful of Western players, foremost among them the United States.

The regional shockwave from this decision

How Moscow and Beijing are watching this rapprochement

This arms sale obviously hasn't escaped the attention of Russia and China, two powers that cultivate their own economic and military ties with Ankara. A stronger rapprochement between Turkey and the United States complicates the Kremlin's strategic calculations, since Moscow had hoped to exploit past tensions between Ankara and Washington to expand its influence in the Black Sea.

For Beijing, which also seeks to sell its own military equipment to countries in the Middle East and Central Asia, the consolidation of the Turkish-American defense aerospace partnership sends a clear signal: Turkey remains, despite everything, anchored in the Western camp on the most sensitive security issues.

Gulf allies watching closely

Several Gulf countries, themselves potential customers for the KAAN program, are closely tracking developments in this file. Easier access to American engines boosts the commercial appeal of the Turkish fighter for these markets, where diversifying military suppliers has become a strategic priority for several years now.

This commercial dynamic could eventually turn the KAAN into a serious competitor against other Western and Russian programs in these particularly lucrative and geopolitically sensitive export markets.

The expected reactions in the US Congress

A vote that won't be unanimous

Any arms sale of this scale must theoretically pass review by the American Congress, where certain lawmakers, notably those concerned about Turkey's democratic record or its relations with Russia, could seek to slow down or attach conditions to this transaction. Previous Turkish arms deals have often sparked heated debate on Capitol Hill.

However, several observers cited by specialized media believe the Trump administration would rather avoid a fresh head-on standoff with Ankara, favoring instead a pragmatic approach that prioritizes alliance stability over more symbolic considerations.

The precedent of F-35 restrictions

The memory of the F-35 saga, in which Turkey was excluded from the program after buying the Russian S-400 system, looms over these new negotiations. Some lawmakers could demand additional guarantees regarding the end use of these engines or Ankara's general posture toward Moscow before finally approving the transaction.

The case illustrates the constant tension between short-term American national security imperatives and broader foreign policy principles concerning partners within NATO deemed unpredictable.

The impact on regional military balance

A more autonomous Turkey facing its neighbors

With a fully operational fifth-generation fighter, Turkey would considerably strengthen its position relative to its regional neighbors, whether that's Greece, with which territorial tensions persist in the Aegean Sea, or more distant powers like Iran, whose ballistic program worries the whole region.

This rise in Turkish military power fits into a broader dynamic of shifting power balances in the Middle East, where several actors are seeking to rapidly modernize their air capabilities amid the uncertainties created by ongoing conflicts in the region.

A signal of resolve against the Moscow-Tehran axis

By consolidating its military cooperation with Ankara, Washington is also sending a message to the axis formed by Russia and Iran, whose military cooperation has deepened since the start of the war in Ukraine. A technologically more advanced Turkey, better integrated into Western supply chains, complicates the calculations of both regimes in the region.

This balancing act reflects the complexity of alliances in the Middle East, where Turkey skillfully navigates between its NATO membership and its own regional interests, which sometimes diverge from those of its Western partners.

What this means for Western defense industry

General Electric consolidates its position

For General Electric, this contract worth more than $700 million represents a significant commercial win, strengthening its position as an indispensable supplier of military engines against its European and Russian competitors. This sale adds to an already solid international order book for engines in the F110 family, used on several fighter platforms around the world.

This transaction also shows how major American defense contractors directly benefit from ongoing geopolitical realignments, with every arms contract simultaneously reinforcing allied military capabilities and the American industrial base itself.

A supply chain worth watching

This sale also underscores the strategic importance of supply chains for critical components in modern military aviation. Control of these propulsion technologies remains a powerful diplomatic lever, one the United States will likely keep using to shape its allies' strategic choices in years to come.

For Europe, which is also developing its own next-generation fighter programs, this dynamic is a reminder of the urgency of building genuine industrial autonomy in military propulsion, an area where dependence on American technology remains structural.

The symbolic weight of the Ankara summit for the Alliance

A location chosen to send a message

Choosing Ankara as the site for the NATO summit is never a trivial matter on the Alliance's diplomatic calendar. Holding this meeting on Turkish soil, at the hinge between Europe and the Middle East, underscores both the host country's strategic importance and the collective will to reaffirm unity against threats from Russia, Iran, and, more indirectly, North Korea through its weapons transfers to Moscow.

President Erdoğan has seized this occasion to remind everyone that Turkey remains an indispensable partner, capable of hosting sensitive discussions on the future of collective defense, all while pushing his own industrial and diplomatic priorities to the top of the Alliance's agenda.

European allies' expectations

Several European capitals hope this summit will clarify long-term American commitments, amid growing concerns about a gradual US withdrawal from the European continent, as several recent analyses in the specialized press have pointed out.

In this context, the engine sale to Turkey acts as a partial reassuring signal: it shows that Washington continues to concretely invest in its allies' military capabilities, even as questions remain about the future scope of its direct engagement on the continent.

Lessons from the Turkish-American past

The trauma of the S-400 affair

It's impossible to analyze this new sale without revisiting the saga of the Russian S-400 system, purchased by Ankara despite repeated warnings from Washington. That decision led to Turkey's exclusion from the F-35 program and triggered American sanctions under the CAATSA law, leaving diplomatic scars still visible today.

This sale of F110 engines doesn't mean that dispute is fully resolved, but it indicates that the two capitals have found pragmatic common ground allowing certain military files to move forward without requiring a complete settlement of all inherited disagreements.

Trust rebuilt step by step

Rebuilding trust between Ankara and Washington is therefore happening in gradual steps, with each arms contract serving as a test of mutual goodwill. This incremental approach, though slow, appears to be preferred by both sides over a complete rupture that would primarily benefit Russia and China.

This gradual dynamic also illustrates a diplomatic maturity necessary in a multipolar world where no actor, not even the United States, can afford to lose strategic partners over inflexible positions.

The role of Turkey's aerospace industry in the national economy

An engine of growth for Ankara

The KAAN program isn't just a military matter for Turkey: it's also a pillar of its industrial development strategy. Manufacturer Turkish Aerospace Industries employs thousands of engineers and technicians, and successfully exporting the KAAN could generate considerable economic returns for the Turkish economy in the years ahead.

This industrial ambition fits into Turkey's broader strategy of reducing its dependence on arms imports while becoming a significant exporter itself to emerging markets, particularly in Asia and Africa.

A technological showcase for export

The success of the contract with Indonesia has already served as a showcase to attract other potential customers. With guaranteed access to American F110 engines, the KAAN becomes a much more attractive option for countries that had previously hesitated because of uncertainties tied to the Turkish fighter's propulsion chain.

This positive commercial dynamic strengthens Turkey's position as a rising defense industrial player, capable of gradually competing with more established aerospace powers in certain targeted market segments.

The human dimension behind the big arms contracts

Skilled jobs on both sides of the Atlantic

Behind the impressive figures of this $700 million contract, there are concrete jobs, both at General Electric in the United States and among Turkish subcontractors who will help integrate these engines onto the KAAN fighter. These arms contracts, however politically controversial, support entire industrial sectors on both sides of the Atlantic.

This concrete economic dimension is often forgotten in abstract geopolitical debates, even though it weighs heavily on the final decisions of the governments involved, especially when it comes to justifying these sales to publics that are sometimes skeptical of arms exports.

The ethical debate over arms sales to contested regimes

It would be dishonest not to mention the recurring criticism directed at American arms sales to countries like Turkey, whose record on civil liberties and the suppression of domestic opposition remains regularly condemned by human rights organizations around the world.

This ethical debate regularly runs through the American Congress without ever fully halting the continuation of bilateral military relations, as the strategic imperatives tied to Turkey's geographic position generally outweigh considerations about its domestic politics.

Possible consequences for the Syrian file

A stronger Turkey, a more influential Syrian actor

Turkey's military buildup has direct repercussions on the Syrian file, where Ankara has played a decisive role for years. A modernized Turkish air force strengthens Ankara's ability to project power into northern Syria, a region where Turkish, Kurdish, Russian, and Iranian interests continue to collide.

This regional dynamic further complicates the search for lasting stability in Syria, even as it simultaneously strengthens the negotiating position of a Western ally against Iranian and Russian ambitions in this complex theater of operations.

A fragile balance to watch closely

Regional analysts are calling for caution in the face of this rising Turkish military power, noting that stability in the Middle East remains very fragile and that any military buildup, even by a NATO ally, can have unpredictable consequences for already precarious regional balances.

It's precisely for this reason that Washington is trying to pair this engine sale with discreet diplomatic guarantees regarding the future use of these enhanced Turkish military capabilities in the region.

What this reveals about Trump's doctrine on alliances

Pragmatism over ideology

This arms sale illustrates an often underrated facet of Donald Trump's foreign policy doctrine: a transactional pragmatism that favors concrete strategic interests over ideological posturing. Even toward an ally as unpredictable as Erdoğan, the American administration is choosing targeted cooperation over permanent confrontation.

This transactional approach, criticized by some as devoid of principle, nonetheless proves effective at maintaining NATO's practical cohesion against the shared threats posed by Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea.

A lesson for future American administrations

Whatever political judgment one holds of Donald Trump otherwise, this handling of the Turkish file could serve as a model for future administrations dealing with complex but strategically indispensable allies. The key seems to lie in the ability to separate strictly military matters from broader diplomatic disputes.

This approach, if it endures, could durably reshape how Washington manages relationships with strategic partners who don't always fully share its democratic values, but whose geographic position or military capabilities remain indispensable to the Western balance.

The Cyprus factor and Mediterranean tensions

An air power that worries Nicosia and Athens

Turkey's rising air power hasn't gone unnoticed in Cyprus or Greece, two European Union member states tracking every advance of the KAAN program with concern. Recurring tensions in the Aegean Sea and around the Cyprus question make this military buildup particularly sensitive for these two capitals, even within an officially united NATO.

These Greek and Cypriot concerns illustrate a structural contradiction within the Atlantic Alliance: how to maintain collective cohesion against Russia while managing persistent rivalries between allies themselves, a diplomatic challenge Washington must constantly arbitrate behind the scenes.

Washington's moderating role

Faced with these internal tensions, the United States traditionally plays a moderating role, seeking to prevent Greek-Turkish rivalries from escalating into an open crisis within NATO. This engine sale could require additional diplomatic assurances from Washington to Athens to avoid any perception of a strategic imbalance in the region.

This delicate management of internal alliance balances shows just how much modern military diplomacy demands constant attention to each ally's sensitivities, even when the ultimate goal remains collective strengthening against shared external threats.

Conclusion: a signal of cohesion before the Ankara test

A calculated gesture at the right moment

This sale of F110 engines to Turkey, announced just days before the NATO summit in Ankara, is no accident. It illustrates Washington's determination to consolidate its strategic alliances at a moment when Western cohesion against Russia, Iran, and China has never been more crucial.

It remains to be seen whether Congress will approve this transaction smoothly, and whether the KAAN program will manage to establish itself durably on international export markets amid increasingly fierce Western and non-Western competition.

A partnership to be built for the long haul

For the future of NATO, this sale is a reminder of a simple truth: the Alliance's cohesion isn't built through speeches alone, but through concrete acts of industrial and military cooperation. Turkey will remain a demanding but indispensable ally in the strategic balance against the ambitions of Moscow and Tehran.

By Maxime Marquette, columnist

Columnist's transparency note

This open letter relies on information published by specialized defense media, notably Reuters via news wire pickups, as well as on public statements from Turkish officials and analyses from recognized media outlets. No confidential source or direct testimony was used. The italicized passages reflect a personal, openly stated editorial opinion, distinct from the reported facts, all of which come from the verifiable publications cited below.

Sources

Primary sources

Anadolu Ajansı — President Erdoğan on the NATO summit in Ankara, June 29, 2026

Internazionale (Reuters wire) — Erdoğan calls for NATO unity, June 29, 2026

Secondary sources

AeroTime — Congress notified of F110 engine sale, June 26, 2026

The Economist — NATO ponders how to defend Eastern Europe as America pulls back, July 2, 2026

Atlas News — NATO recalibration around the Ankara summit, June 2026

Türkiye Today — analysis of the engine sale to Turkey, June 26, 2026