Turkey's Involvement in the F-35 Program

Abstract

Turkey has been involved in the international consortium that builds the F-35 J°int Strike Fighter (JSF) since 1999. The relationship between Turkey and the consortium may appear to be rocky, however, because of Turkey's many hesitations to commit to the JSF program. In this article we argue that these hesitations are strategic, designed to extract maximum benefits for Turkey's defence industry from the consortium manufacturing the fighter jets. For in addition to wanting to buy these fighter jets, Turkey seeks to maximize the amount of local work-share to secure access to the software of the aircraft, and to accumulate enough experience that will eventually lead to designing and manufacturing a combat aircraft. Currently, Turkey's arms and aviation exports total US$i billion, and locallymanufactured items account for more than 50 percent of Turkish defence procurement. Consequently, the professed aim of building an indigenous combat aircraft can be taken as a manifestation of the pursuit of a greater share of, and a greater say in, the global arms trade.This article unfolds in three sections. In the first section, we give a brief history of military aviation in Turkey, including Turkey's efforts to develop an indigenous aircraft industry; in order to understand Turkey's involvement in the F-35 program, it is crucial to understand Turkey's desire to build a fully indigenous combat aircraft. Second, we give a timeline of Turkey's inclusion in the F-35 program and discuss the motives and goals behind Turkey's involvement in the JSF. Finally, we address the ebbs and flows in the Turkish approach to the entire JSF program in parallel to the rapidly changing international context, the cost overruns, and the extent of work-share secured for Turkish industries.MILITARY AVIATION AND AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY IN TURKEYIn May 2011 the Turkish Air Force (TuAF) officially celebrated its centennial. In 1911 the ailing Ottoman Empire created an experimental aviation unit. In its infancy, the Ottoman (and then the Turkish) air force saw action in a number of major conflicts that came in quick succession from the Balkan Wars in 1912-1913, to the First World War, to the Turkish War of Liberation in I9I9'I922- Once modem Turkey was established in 1923, submarines and aircraft became the weapons of choice for the defence of the new Turkish state. Yet aircraft had one distinct advantage over submarines-popular appeal. Hence aircraft and aviators quickly turned into symbols of progress and power in Turkey. Between 1925 and 1935, ordinary Turkish people paid for about 250 military aircraft through subscriptions raised by a nationwide fundraising drive organized by the Turkish Aircraft Association (later, the Turkish Air League, or THK), creating a strong and resilient bond between the people and aircraft in Turkey.The Versailles limitations on German arms production provided Turkey with an opportunity to have an early start in aircraft production. Seeking a way around the restrictions, the German aircraft manufacturer Junkers set up an assembly line for its A-20 military and F-13 civilian aircraft in the Central Anatolian city of Kayseri in 1925. Although this first attempt ended in failure, the Kayseri Plant was used in assembling aircraft purchased from the United States, Germany, Poland, and Britain in the 1930s. Meanwhile, several individuals had started their own businesses to design and build aircraft in Turkey. Among them, the best known were Vecihi Hurkuc, a veteran fighter pilot noted for his boldness, and Nuri Demirag, an entrepreneur and aviation enthusiast. Such private ventures bore only modest results. Nevertheless, Hurkuc in particular left a lasting mark on Turkish aviation as the builder of the first ever Turkish aircraft.1In the interwar era, Turkey followed a policy of avoiding dependence of all sorts. The Turkish government took great strides in diversifying its arms suppliers. Britain, Germany, and the US supplied bombers and trainers, while the fighters were bought from Poland. …