| At last! We've found a way to sabotage the Turk military! |
It did not say how many more of the fighter jets it planned to order but two U.S. officials familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the second batch would comprise 24 jets.
The Undersecretariat said it expected the new orders to be delivered in 2021 and 2022. Its statement was released after a meeting of its executive committee chaired by Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım.
A Lockheed representative said the company is "honored" by Turkey's continued commitment to the F-35 program which was further demonstrated by the decision by the DIEC on Oct. 29.
Turkey had placed its first orders in 2014 with two jets and has added another four to that in 2015, according to the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries website. It aims to eventually purchase a total of 100, it said.