Special to WorldTribune.com

ANKARA — Turkey has demanded the software codes of the U.S.-origin
Joint Strike Fighter as a condition for purchase.

Officials said the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has
determined that the F-35 would not comprise a feasible purchase unless the
Turkish Air Force acquired software codes of the fifth-generation
fighter-jet. They said the Defense Ministry has been examining the prospect
of procuring at least 100 F-35s from prime contractor Lockheed Martin.

“When it comes to the plane’s software, we aren’t talking about
purchasing all the codes,” Defense Industry Undersecretary Murad Bayar said. “Just those that are the most essential for the plane’s freedom of operation. These are the codes that we are interested in acquiring.”

In an interview with Turkey’s semi-official Anatolia News Agency on Jan. 14, Bayar said the demand for JSF software codes reflected the decision by the Defense Industry Executive Committee. In January, the committee approved the purchase of the first two F-35s.

The United States has been reticent to transfer software codes for any of its platforms. In 2010, Britain, the leading foreign partner in JSF, complained that Washington was refusing to transfer technology of the fighter-jet.

“During a recent [Turkish defense] visit to America, when asked about
technology transfer to Turkey, they [U.S. officials] openly said that we
were their rivals,” Turkish Defense Minister Ismat Yilmaz recalled.

Turkey, with an initial investment of $175 million, has been a Level 3
partner in JSF. Bayar said his agency was preparing to allocate a budget of
$16 billion for JSF.

“In the first stage we will train our pilots with these two F-35
planes,” Bayar said. “We will place our subsequent orders as the F-35 model
develops and matures.”

  Ismat Yilmaz, Joint Strike Fighter, Lockheed Martin, Murad Bayar, Recep Erdogan, Turkey demands ‘essential’ software codes for F-35 purchase to proceed