Turkey committed to procuring the first two of a planned 100 conventional F-35 variants, prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] said in a statement.
Turkey’s F-35As will come with the Block 3F software configuration under low-rate initial production (LRIP) 10, Turkey’s undersecretariat for defense industries (SSM) said in a statement. SSM also said it has been tasked to establish a final assembly and checkout (FACO) line and depot-level maintenance center for the F135 engine with Turkish local industry and Turkish Air Force structure. Turkey said it aims to provide service to all F-35 users around the region via these facilities.
Lockheed Martin spokesman B.J. Boling said Tuesday because these two aircraft are part of LRIP-10 they’ll be negotiated in 2016 and most likely delivered to Turkey in 2018. The F-35 is developed by Lockheed Martin with subcontractors Northrop Grumman [NOC] and BAE Systems. The F135 engine is developed by Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. [UTX]