It was supposed to be an objective lesson to get a recalcitrant ally back online, but kicking Turkey out of the Pentagon’s $ 1.6 trillion F-35 program has been much more difficult than expected, raising questions about whether Washington did. a threat that was not entirely ready to back up.
More than a year after the Trump administration formally expelled Turkey, a key NATO ally, from the 21st century fighter jet initiative due to Ankara’s growing military ties to Russia, Turkish companies remain integrated into the US supply chains them out.
All Turkish participation in the program was supposed to end in March, but defense industry leaders acknowledge that it is likely to continue for at least another year.
Officials at Lockheed Martin, the leading maker of F-35s, told The Washington Times last week that the company “continues to pull away” from Turkish suppliers, but did not offer specific dates for when a complete and final break will occur. Defense Department officials admitted earlier this year that Turkey’s participation would continue well beyond the original March deadline.
The United States and several NATO countries unsuccessfully protested Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plan to buy a major Russian anti-missile defense system, warning that it could compromise the alliance’s security systems. Turkey says it turned to Moscow only after its purchase of a U.S. alternative was blocked.
The inability to sever ties with Turkey has been the latest setback for a high-profile F-35 program, one that has been plagued by cost overruns and other problems. Anger has also increased on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers argued last week that millions of dollars in taxpayer money were lost due to poorly written contracts and the lack of proper oversight.
The F-35 production process was conceived as a measure of enhancing the alliance, and key allies like Turkey were allowed to share lucrative parts of the production process.
Defense experts say the Pentagon and its private sector partners have struggled to find non-Turkish companies capable of manufacturing certain key parts for the cutting-edge aircraft. The global COVID-19 pandemic has also slowed production lines and hampered coordination, further delaying an already complicated transition for Turkish companies.
“I think it was more difficult than people expected,” said retired Air Force General Herbert “Hawk” J. Carlisle, now president and CEO of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).
“The Lockheed Martin folks, the Defense Department folks … it was harder than they thought, up to a point, and then you put COVID-19 on top of that,” he told The Washington Times in an interview. “I think it’s a manufacturing readiness and a capacity and scale capacity [issue]. The Turks produced a manufacturing capability … to meet all the requirements of a very complex jet to manufacture the parts they are manufacturing for them. Cut that out and you will have to find a company that has the background and the ability to do it. “
Turkish companies still provide hundreds of parts for the F-35 program, arguably the most ambitious air program in Pentagon history and one designed to produce aircraft that will replace legacy aircraft in the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. .
Turkish companies mainly provide parts related to the F-35’s physical framework, industry sources said, not the complex sensors, systems and electronic components inside the plane.
Deadlines
While Turkish participation is somewhat limited, lawmakers on both sides are angry that Ankara is still playing a role. Last year, the White House and the Pentagon kicked Turkey out of the F-35 program due to Ankara’s decision to buy the Russian-made S-400 missile system.
American officials argued that the F-35 and S-400 cannot be used together because the S-400, a highly sophisticated system in its own right, could learn and exploit any weak points in the F-35 program, which could undermine NATO security.
When Erdogan went ahead with the Russian deal, the United States expelled Turkish pilots who were in the United States learning to fly the plane, and halted sales of complete planes to Ankara. Earlier this month, the US Air Force confirmed that it will buy eight F-35s that were supposed to be delivered to Turkey.
But as part of the new policy, all Turkish involvement in the manufacturing process will also end in March this year, and members of Congress want to know why that has not happened.
“Unfortunately, Turkish manufacturers are still producing and delivering key aircraft components despite a legal ban on such involvement in the program’s manufacturing line. We believe that more urgency is needed and we hope that it will speed up the process to ensure further phase-out. Quick, ”reads a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper of July 6 from Republican Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
“Based on recent revelations, it is clear that the Pentagon is not following its own timeline or Congress’ intent on this matter,” the senators wrote. “We encourage it to re-examine the current approach and to take steps to ensure a rapid withdrawal of Turkey from the manufacturing line, as required by law.”
Lawmakers argued that Congress has already set aside tens of millions of dollars to help the Pentagon find alternative sources for the pieces. They also expressed concern that the current Pentagon plan could apparently allow contracts with Turkish companies until 2022.
Defense industry officials dispute that date and say a full break should happen by next summer, if not sooner.
Lockheed Martin told the Times that the company is actively moving away from Turkish suppliers as current contracts end and “fully qualified alternatives are found.” The complex technical and safety parameters of the F-35 program, industry sources said, make it difficult to find fully qualified companies that can produce parts to scale on the schedule originally planned by the administration.
But while the industry may be optimistic about a faster transition, Defense Department officials seem reluctant to make more promises that they may not be able to keep. A Pentagon spokesman told The Times that “extended transition times” away from the Turkish sides do not indicate any change in US policy, and that Turkey remains suspended from the program.
While most of the Turkish pieces have already been removed from the supply chain, Pentagon officials would only guarantee that the final Turkish products will be delivered in late 2022.
Deeper problems
The coronavirus outbreak, authorities said, has also greatly complicated matters, while exposing America’s increased reliance on unreliable foreign suppliers in many industries critical to national security.
F-35 production is now just one piece of the much larger move toward “ground” production of medical and military equipment to prevent other countries from holding US hostages during a crisis.
“The challenge we face, amid propping up some things from Turkey, [is] you’re propping up all these other things inside defense and outside defense, ”said General Carlisle.
Meanwhile, the F-35 program as a whole has come under fire from lawmakers and other critics who say Lockheed Martin should pay American taxpayers for delivering parts that were not completely ready to be installed on the planes. Defense Department officials say his staff in many cases had to fix “electronic equipment records” that come in some key parts of the F-35.
The Pentagon is estimated to have incurred at least $ 183 million in labor costs. Lockheed Martin, on the other hand, can receive bonuses if the F-35s reach certain flight time thresholds, even if it was the Pentagon staff who took the last crucial steps to make the spacecraft fit for flight.
“If you want to avoid reputational damage, you need to rethink the terms of that contract,” Rep. Stephen Lynch, a Massachusetts Democrat, told Lockheed Martin officials last week during a hearing from the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee of Representatives.
Lockheed Martin officials said they are still negotiating with the Pentagon and in the process of figuring out how much money, if any, should be returned.
“It’s a complex problem,” Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager of the F-35 program, told lawmakers at the hearing. “Not everything is associated with Lockheed Martin’s performance.”
