 still possesses sensitive F-35 production equipment five years after the country’s expulsion from the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program in July 2019 over its purchase of Russia’s S-400 long-range air defense system, according to the Defense Archives.){kind=link}
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) still possesses sensitive F-35 production equipment five years after the country’s expulsion from the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program in July 2019 over its purchase of Russia’s S-400 long-range air defense system, according to the Defense Archives.
The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) launched a market survey, a request for information (RFI), in October 2024 seeking to repatriate Special Tooling (ST) and Special Test Equipment (STE) from TUSAŞ’s Ankara facility to Northrop Grumman’s California plant.
TUSAŞ served as a second-source supplier for the F-35’s center fuselage along with Northrop Grumman until Turkey’s expulsion from the program.
Turkish companies were set to produce more than 1,000 components as part of Ankara’s $1.4 billion investment in the fighter program.
The Trump administration removed Turkey in 2019, citing security concerns over the Russian S-400 air defense system procurement.
The RFI, posted on SAM.gov, outlines plans to dismantle, package and ship the equipment via ocean freight, ensuring compliance with US and international standards for future use.
The US quickly found alternative suppliers after Turkey’s exit from the program. By May 2020 the JPO had qualified new sources for nearly all 817 airframe and 188 engine parts previously made by Turkish companies, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report shows.
Northrop Grumman maintained primary fuselage production until the transition was completed in 2022. The company later partnered with Germany’s Rheinmetall in February 2023 to set up a second center fuselage assembly line in Weeze, Germany, scheduled to open in mid-2025.
The expulsion triggered a major shift in the F-35 supply chain across NATO countries. Turkish companies, led by TUSAŞ, had been responsible for producing center fuselage sections and more than 1,000 components before their removal from the program.
The production responsibilities have since been redistributed to US and European allies. In addition to Rheinmetall, Italy’s Cameri facility and Britain’s BAE Systems now produce additional fuselage sections and electronic components, while Norway and the Netherlands contribute to wiring and subsystems.
Construction on the German production facility began in August 2023 and is expected to finish this spring, with operations starting this summer. Rheinmetall confirmed to Defense Archives that work at the Weeze facility remains on schedule with production still set to begin “mid-2025.”
The company also stated that production tooling from Northrop Grumman is “expected to arrive shortly.”
Despite Rheinmetall’s timeline, no formal solicitation has yet been issued following the October 2024 market survey, suggesting TUSAŞ likely still possesses the specialized tooling at its Ankara facility. This could affect equipment delivery if Northrop Grumman plans to use this same tooling for the new German facility.