A Democratic lawmaker has launched the first formal congressional effort to block the proposed sale of General Electric aircraft engines to Turkey, escalating scrutiny of U.S. defense ties with Ankara as questions over the future of the F-35 program resurface.
Representative Dina Titus has introduced a joint resolution of disapproval in the U.S. House of Representatives, seeking to overturn the Trump administration’s notification to Congress of a proposed sale worth approximately $700 million. The deal would provide engines for Turkey’s indigenous KAAN fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
Titus argues that the transfer of advanced U.S. technology would risk further destabilizing the Eastern Mediterranean while bolstering the military capabilities of a country that, she says, has repeatedly threatened U.S. allies and fellow NATO members.
The move comes as the State Department reiterated that Turkey must first resolve longstanding outstanding issues—widely understood to refer to its continued possession of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
“President Trump recognizes Turkey’s strategic importance, and the U.S. administration encourages Turkey to resolve the remaining issues,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The department also reaffirmed that “Turkey is a valued NATO ally, and we continue to engage across all aspects of this important and multifaceted relationship,” while noting that “the details of the legal restrictions are publicly available, and we have nothing new to add.”
Despite the warmer tone in recent contacts between the Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Trump, defense analysts and military officials maintain that granting Turkey access to America’s most advanced aerospace technology remains legally and operationally incompatible with the deployment of the S-400 system.
That position reflects long-standing U.S. policy. In 2019, during President Trump’s first term, Washington expelled Turkey from the multinational F-35 program after repeatedly warning Ankara that its purchase of the Russian air defense system would jeopardize its participation. The United States had offered the Patriot missile defense system as an alternative.
The issue is expected to remain high on the agenda ahead of the upcoming NATO summit, where any shift in U.S. policy toward Turkey—including the prospect of renewed access to fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets—will be closely watched by allies and adversaries alike.
U.S. officials have consistently emphasized that allies must be capable of responding to evolving global security threats while investing in their own defense. Turkey’s continued operation of the S-400, however, has complicated that strategic objective.
Defense experts argue that the risks extend beyond politics. According to analyses by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and other defense research institutions, operating the S-400 in proximity to the F-35—or integrating the two into the same air-defense environment—could expose sensitive data on the aircraft’s stealth characteristics and advanced sensor systems to Russia.
Safeguarding those capabilities has become an increasingly critical priority. The F-35’s low-observable technology and sophisticated sensor fusion have played a pivotal role in securing U.S. and Israeli air superiority in recent operations in the Middle East, including Epic Fury and Midnight Hammer, reinforcing Washington’s determination to protect one of its most closely guarded military technologies.
