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

> Dear reader, let me tell you what quietly played out in Washington on June 24, 2026. That day, the US State Department

- Author: Maxime Marquette
- Publisher: MadMax (https://mad-max.co)
- Section: Open letter
- Published: 2026-07-05
- Canonical URL: https://mad-max.co/en/article/washington-arme-le-chasseur-turc-kaan-avant-le-sommet-d-ankara

## Key takeaways

- The notification was revealed by a State Department source consulted by Reuters.
- The KAAN, built by Turkish Aerospace Industries, has an export contract with Indonesia for 48 aircraft signed in July 2025.
- Turkey was excluded from the F-35 program after buying the Russian S-400 system, and an October 2025 contract for 20 Eurofighter Typhoons was also signed.
- The author argues the sale is a pragmatic bet to tighten NATO ties with Turkey, and that engine dependence gives Washington influence over Ankara.
- The article notes possible congressional scrutiny, with some lawmakers likely to raise concerns about Turkey's democratic record and Russia ties.

## 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.

*I'll write it plainly: this sale is a smart strategic bet by Washington. Rather than pushing Turkey into the arms of less reliable alternative suppliers, the Trump administration is choosing to consolidate an industrial and military bond with a southeastern pillar of NATO. This isn't indulgence toward Ankara; it's applied geopolitical pragmatism.*

## 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.

*I remain convinced that Turkey, despite its authoritarian domestic drift and its ambiguous relations with Moscow, remains an ally the West cannot afford to lose. Criticizing Erdoğan on human rights issues is legitimate, but abandoning him strategically would hand a highway to Russian and Iranian influence across the entire Black Sea region.*

## 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**.

*Far from being a shameful weakness, this Turkish dependence on American engines actually illustrates the persistent technological superiority of Western defense industry. As long as Washington holds this lever, it retains real influence over Ankara's strategic choices, which is objectively a good thing for NATO cohesion against Russia and China.*

## 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.

*I see in this commercial competition a sign of good health for the broader Western defense ecosystem. That Turkey is developing its own fighter with American engines, rather than turning to Russian or Chinese alternatives, directly serves NATO's collective security interests, even if it also feeds internal industrial competition within the Alliance.*

## 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.

*I understand the reservations some American lawmakers have toward Erdoğan's Turkey, but I think a prolonged block on this sale would be a strategic mistake. You have to pick your battles: preserving NATO's military cohesion against Russia should take priority over bilateral disputes, however legitimate they may otherwise be.*

## 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.

*This Turkish ability to navigate between multiple alliances can be irritating, but it's still preferable to a Turkey that would tip entirely into the Russian-Iranian orbit. I prefer an imperfect Turkey anchored in NATO to a Turkey that becomes a satellite of Moscow in an already sufficiently unstable region.*

## 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.

*I think this persistent dependence of Europe and its allies on American engines should serve as a wake-up call to speed up European sovereign military propulsion programs. This isn't a criticism of Washington, but an acknowledgment that the broader West's complete strategic autonomy also requires reducing critical technological dependencies.*

## 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.

*I believe this Ankara summit will be scrutinized very closely by all of the West's adversaries. A divided or hesitant Alliance would send a disastrous signal to Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran. An Alliance that displays cohesion, even one built through calculated arms contracts, remains the best deterrent against regimes that only respect the balance of power.*

## 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.

*I think this step-by-step approach is the only realistic path. Demanding that Ankara completely renounce its relationship with Moscow would be unrealistic and counterproductive. Better to move forward through concrete gestures, like this engine sale, which gradually bring Turkey closer to the Western camp without humiliating it or pushing it toward a definitive break.*

## 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.

*This Turkish industrial success deserves recognition, even if it also serves the strategic interests of a president whose authoritarian drift remains concerning. I'd rather have a prosperous Turkey anchored in Western supply chains than an economically weakened Turkey tempted by opportunistic alliances with Moscow or Beijing.*

## 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.

*I won't close my eyes to Erdoğan's authoritarian excesses: they are real and documented. But I also reject the naivety of believing that completely isolating Turkey would improve human rights in that country. Strategic engagement, however imperfect, is often more effective than pure isolation.*

## 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.

*I think this Syrian file needs to be viewed with clear eyes: Turkey isn't a perfect actor, but it remains infinitely preferable to greater Iranian or Russian domination of this theater. Strengthening Turkish capabilities, while maintaining diplomatic pressure on how they're used, strikes me as the most realistic strategy currently available.*

## 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.

*On the military and strategic level, I readily acknowledge that this pragmatic Trump approach toward Turkey produces concrete results for Western cohesion. It's one of the rare areas where I can praise this administration's decision without reservation, even as I remain highly critical of other aspects of its domestic policy.*

## 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.

*I fully understand Greek and Cypriot concerns, but I refuse to let this regional rivalry serve as a pretext for weakening NATO's overall cohesion against far more serious threats from Moscow and Tehran. Allies must learn to manage their bilateral disputes without ever losing sight of the common enemy.*

## 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**.

*I'll close this open letter with a firm conviction: this engine contract, however technical it may seem, illustrates better than any speech how the West must work with imperfect allies to remain collectively stronger against Russia, Iran, and China. Ankara deserves our critical vigilance, but also our continued strategic engagement.*

**By Maxime Marquette, columnist**

## Columnist's transparency note

### Editorial stance

I am not a journalist but a **columnist and analyst**. My expertise lies in observing and analysing the geopolitical, economic and strategic dynamics that shape our world. My work is to take political strategies apart, to understand global economic movements, to put the decisions of international actors in context and to offer analytical perspectives on the changes that are redefining our societies.

I do not claim the cold objectivity of traditional journalism, which stops at reporting facts. **I claim analytical clarity**, rigorous interpretation and a deep understanding of the complex issues that concern us all. My role is to give meaning to the facts, to place them in their historical and strategic context, and to offer a critical reading of events.

### Method and sources

This text keeps the basic distinction between **verified facts and interpretive analysis**. The rule never changes: a factual claim is published only when a verifiable source supports it, and the sources this article actually used are listed under **Sources**, never here.

**Primary source families** used by the publication, when the story has them: official statements from governments and international institutions, public statements by political leaders, reports from intergovernmental organisations, dispatches from recognised international news agencies.

**Secondary source families**: specialised publications, internationally recognised news media, analyses from established research institutions, reports from industry organisations.

When an article cites statistical, economic or geopolitical data, it comes from the institutions that produce it (intergovernmental organisations, central banks, national statistics offices), and the exact institution is named under **Sources**.

### Nature of the analysis

The analyses, interpretations and perspectives in the analytical sections of this article are a **critical, contextual synthesis** based on the information available, the trends observed and the expert comments cited in the sources consulted.

My role is to interpret these facts, to set them in the context of today's geopolitical and economic dynamics, and to give them a coherent meaning within the larger story of the changes shaping our time. These analyses reflect expertise built through continuous observation of international affairs and an understanding of the strategic mechanisms that drive global actors.

This article describes a documented state of affairs on its publication date, not a prediction: later developments may shift its outlook. No update is promised in advance; when an article is corrected or completed, the change is dated in the text.

## 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

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Source: Maxime Marquette, MadMax. When citing, name the author and link https://mad-max.co/en/article/washington-arme-le-chasseur-turc-kaan-avant-le-sommet-d-ankara