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<\/a><\/p>\nBy Humeyra Pamuk and Patricia Zengerle<\/p>\n
(Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration notified Congress on Monday of the planned sale to Turkey of avionics software upgrades for its current fleet of F-16 fighter aircraft, a deal valued at up to $259 million.<\/p>\n
The deal, first reported by Reuters earlier on Monday, moves ahead with the sale of the modernization package for Turkey’s aircraft, after leaders of U.S. congressional committees gave informal approval.<\/p>\n
A larger agreement, NATO member Turkey’s request to buy billions of dollars worth of F-16s, remains in limbo amid continuing opposition in Congress.<\/p>\n
If it is cleared by Congress during the formal approval process, the package would be the first major military sale to Turkey that Congress has approved for years. <\/p>\n
“T\u00fcrkiye is a\u202flongstanding\u202fand valued NATO ally,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. “The Biden Administration supports T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s efforts to bring the avionics of its F-16 fleet up to standard.”<\/p>\n
The spokesperson noted that the upgrade will improve the interoperability between Turkish and NATO systems by updating its communications and also provide upgrades to enhance safety measures such as a ground collision avoidance system.<\/p>\n
The F-16 modernization deal follows Turkey approving Finland’s accession to the NATO military alliance and signs of easing tensions between Turkey and neighbor Greece ahead of Turkish elections next month.<\/p>\n
Lockheed Martin Corp will be the principal contractor on the deal.<\/p>\n
The package is separate from the proposed $20 billion sale of new Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits that Turkey requested in October 2021.<\/p>\n
The smaller package was approved after the administration pushed the lawmakers to approve it to send a “positive signal” to Ankara, according to one source familiar with the deal.<\/p>\n
The approval does not mean the bigger sale will receive a green light from Congress as U.S. lawmakers are seeking assurances from Turkey on issues that go beyond the Nordic NATO expansion.<\/p>\n
Those issues include easing tensions with Greece for good, refraining from an invasion in northern Syria and enforcing sanctions against Russia.<\/p>\n
Such conditions are likely to anger Turkey, which has said the United States had “endless” demands relating to the sale of F-16s and that Washington’s behavior wasn’t fair.<\/p>\n
\n(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle in Washington; Editing by Doina Chiacu, Don Durfee and Grant McCool)<\/p>\n
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