Republican and Democratic Senators submitted a letter to the U.S. Department of Defense, which included questions about the continuity of part delivery between the United States and Turkey under the F-35 program.

The letter said Ankara did not act as a responsible actor in the programme and was moving away from the expected cooperation as a NATO ally. Republican senators James Lankford and Thom Tillis and Democratic senators Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Van Hollen said, ” From human rights violations in Syria to arbitrary arrests of Americans in Ankara to defence cooperation with Russia, Turkey is not behaving like a responsible actor.”

Senators asked in a letter why the United States, which has taken steps to remove Turkey from the F-35 program since 2019, is still buying jet components from Turkish companies.

Senators who said it was clear that the Pentagon had not followed its timeline and the purpose of Congress on the issue, suggested to the Pentagon that the plan should be reviewed and replaced. 

The US National Defence Authorization Act for 2020 blocked the transfer of F-35 aircraft to Turkey.

Jessica Maxwell, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said the delivery of 139 pieces produced by Turkish companies for the F-35 would continue throughout 2022.