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America did not give F-35 jets to its West Asian allies.
Riyadh: Both Saudi Arabia and Turkey are influential Muslim countries in the Arab world. While Saudi Arabia leads Muslim countries due to the OIC and Mecca-Medina, Turkey does not accept this.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dreams of re-establishing the Ottoman Empire by establishing influence in the Islamic world. Amid all this, Saudi Arabia is now seeking refuge in Turkey for its security. Yes, the same Turkey that has now become a drone superpower in the world. The world is now enamoured with Turkey’s drones and warships, and all records of arms sales are being broken. Saudi Arabia has also shown interest in Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter jets.
It is believed that Saudi Arabia may purchase around 100 Kaan fighter jets from Turkey. Discussions have taken place between officials of both countries regarding this matter.
Previously, Saudi Arabia wanted to buy F-35 fighter jets from the United States, but it now seems to be changing its plan. The Kaan fighter jet from Turkey is said to be stealthy and will not be detected by radar. It has been developed by the Turkish company TAI and the British company BAE Systems. The work on this aircraft began in 2010. Turkey wanted to introduce its own plane in place of the American F-16 fighter jet.
America did not give F-35 jets to Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Turkey wanted this to reduce its dependence and strengthen its overall military and national power. The demand to expedite this programme intensified when Turkey was removed from the U.S. F-35 jet programme in 2019.
Turkey’s Kaan aircraft won hearts with its first flight in 2024. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has been wanting to buy F-35 fighter jets from America since 2017. America was not ready for this, and the situation dragged on. Saudi Arabia is now realizing that, like Turkey, it will not be given this fighter jet by America.
Earlier, the Donald Trump administration had a deal to provide F-35 fighter jets to the UAE, but imposed such strict conditions that the UAE backed out. Saudi Arabia is also concerned that the U.S. will prioritize Israel first to maintain its advantage over neighbouring countries.
Additionally, the U.S. Congress also poses obstacles in acquiring these weapons, which is why various countries are now backing away from the U.S. despite the quality.
Moreover, Saudi Arabia is now focusing on making its own weapons to reduce its dependence. Saudi Arabia wants to develop a sixth-generation fighter jet with the help of Italy and Japan. Due to Saudi’s closeness with China, Japan may oppose this. For this reason, Saudi Arabia is now having to seek refuge in Turkey.
