F-35 fighter jets for Turkey? What Trump's move could mean for India, Israel

Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Turkey and reopen the door to F-35 sales marks a dramatic reversal of US policy. The move could reshape the strategic balance in the Middle East, unsettle Israel's military edge, and raise fresh questions for India amid Turkey's growing defence partnership with Pakistan.

US President Donald Trump has lifted sanctions imposed on Turkey in 2020 over its purchase of Russian S-400 air defence systems, and said Washington is considering selling Ankara the fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter jets. While it remains unclear whether the aircraft will ultimately join the Turkish Air Force, Trump's remarks have unsettled Israel, which has long opposed such a sale. Turkey's potential acquisition of the F-35 could also be closely watched in India, given Ankara's expanding defence cooperation and strategic engagement with Pakistan.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an advanced single-seat, single-engine, supersonic stealth fighter designed for both air-superiority and precision strike missions. Its export, however, are tightly controlled by the US, which approves sales only to trusted allies after weighing technology security concerns and the impact on regional military balances.

Those concerns led Washington to remove Turkey from the F-35 programme in July 2019, before formally imposing sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) in December 2020, after Ankara acquired the Russian-made S-400 air defence system.

Seven years later, the equation has shifted. The development was announced on Tuesday (July 7).

Following his return to the White House, Trump has sought to repair ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan, culminating in his latest decision to lift the sanctions and reopen the possibility of F-35 jets' sale.

"Trump now wants to rebuild bridges with Turkey... so F-35s have become the military bridge between the two countries," Defence expert and senior journalist Sandeep Unnithan told India Today Digital.

WHY IS US SUDDENLY OFFERING TURKEY THE F-35 JETS?

Before examining what Turkey's potential acquisition of the F-35 could mean for its adversaries, it is worth looking at how Washington went from ejecting Ankara from the programme to offering it the aircraft again.

The rift began in 2017, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan approved the purchase of Russia's S-400 air defence system. Citing fears that the S-400 could collect the F-35's radar signatures and compromise the stealth jet, the first Trump administration removed Turkey from the F-35 programme in 2019, before imposing CAATSA sanctions in 2020.

India was also at the risk of having similar CAATSA sanctions imposed upon it due to its own purchase of the S-400, but ultimately managed to get an exemption from the US Congress.

"The US has ensured none of its treaty allies buy top-of-the-line Russian GBAD [Ground-Based Air Defence] systems like the S-400... because the S-400 could be trained to detect radar signatures of the F-35, severely compromising its effectiveness," Unnithan explained.

Congress later barred Turkey's return to the F-35 programme unless it removed its S-400 systems and pledged not to acquire similar Russian equipment.

That position has now shifted. During talks with President Erdoan on Tuesday, Trump announced he would lift the 2020 sanctions and said the US would consider selling Turkey the F-35 jets. Explaining the reversal, Trump said Turkey had been "much more loyal" than before, reported US daily, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

"We have a better relationship with Turkey, and Turkey has been in many ways much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal," Trump said, adding, "It's something certainly we'd consider. It's a great plane... the best plane by far," the WSJ quoted him as saying.

"Trump now wants to rebuild bridges with Turkey, primarily because of its geographic location — on the Bosphorous strait, and straddling the bridge between Asia and Europe. So the F-35s and GE F110 jet engines — which Trump has promised for Ankara's own fifth generation fighter jet programme — have become the military bridge between the two countries," explained Unnithan.

WHY DOES ISRAEL OPPOSE TURKEY ACQUIRING THE F-35

Israel's opposition to a potential F-35 sale to Turkey stems from the sharp deterioration in ties between the two countries and concerns over preserving its military edge.

Israel views Turkey's expanding military footprint in Syria and its growing defence ties with countries like Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia with suspicion. In June, Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, even claimed that Turkey, alongside Syria, had replaced Iran as Israel's biggest security threat.

Turkey, meanwhile, has condemned Israel's military campaigns in Syria, Iran and Lebanon as destabilising and a threat to its own security. Erdogan has also repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

Beyond politics, Israel fears that Turkish F-35s would erode its long-held air superiority in the region. As defence expert Sandeep Unnithan told India Today Digital, "Israel is the country most upset by the potential sale of F-35s to Turkey. It seriously jeopardises the Israeli Air Force's air dominance of the region."

In July 2026, amid reports that the US administration was considering readmitting Ankara to the F-35 programme or supplying engines for its native KAAN fighter programme, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a public media campaign against the deal.

Speaking to US broadcaster Fox News, Netanyahu labelled Turkey "a regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood" and warned against rewarding Erdogan, whom he accused of calling "openly for the annihilation of Israel".

"I don't think they should be given F-35s or the engines for their fighter jets, because that'll upset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also by America's posture in the Middle East," Fox quoted the Israeli PM as saying.

Elaborating further in a simultaneous interview with US broadcaster CNN, Netanyahu cautioned that providing fifth-generation stealth technology to Ankara would result in localised expansionism, warning that Erdogan has openly spoken about regional conquest.

"Selling F-35s to Turkey would destroy the balance of power in the Middle East," the Israeli PM told CNN, adding, "If you give such a radical regime, which smiles at the US when it needs to or smiles at the US president when it needs to, this power, you will see aggression follow."

SHOULD INDIA BE WORRIED ABOUT TURKEY ACQUIRING THE F-35?

At first glance, Turkey's potential acquisition of the advanced F-35 fighter jet might not appear to have a direct bearing on India. However, the wider strategic context is likely to be closely watched.

This is because defence cooperation between Turkey and Pakistan has expanded in recent years. The two countries have held regular military exercises, while Pakistan has acquired Turkish military equipment ranging from drones to warships. The relationship especially drew attention when Turkey sent drones and military operatives to support Islamabad during Operation Sindoor — India's retaliation for the Pahalgam massacre.

Unnithan noted that the biggest cause of concern for India would be if "Turkish Air Force F-35s start operating with / in support of the Pakistan Air Force in any future conflict with India."

While Turkey deploying F-35s to support Pakistan against India appears unlikely — and would almost certainly draw US opposition — it cannot be ruled out entirely. After all, countries have given Islamabad top of the line jets before to use against New Delhi.

As Unnithan pointed out, "During the 1971 India-Pakistan War, Jordan loaned nine US-made F-104 Starfighters to the Pakistan Air Force for use against the Indian Air Force, possibly with the tacit consent of the Nixon administration. Hence, such a scenario cannot be entirely be ruled out by Indian planners."

In any case, a lot still needs to be done on Ankara's side to actually acquire the F-35s, including finding a credible way to address or remove the Russian S-400 systems it purchased. Besides, Trump had previously offered F-35s to Saudi Arabia as well, yet little concrete progress has materialised. Nevertheless, any potential or actual sale is likely to raise concerns in Jerusalem and draw close attention in New Delhi.

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