US Lawmaker Moves to Block Turkey’s KAAN Engine Deal Amid F-35 Scrutiny
A US Democratic lawmaker has introduced a formal congressional challenge to a proposed US-licensed engine deal for Turkey’s KAAN fighter, adding new pressure to Washington’s defense relationship with Ankara as questions over the F-35 program resurface.
Representative Dina Titus introduced a joint resolution of disapproval in the US House of Representatives, seeking to block the proposed transfer of General Electric aircraft engines for Turkey’s indigenous fifth-generation fighter program. The deal, valued at more than $700 million, would support KAAN, Ankara’s flagship effort to develop an advanced combat aircraft.
Titus argued that the transfer would give Turkey access to sensitive US aerospace technology while strengthening the military capabilities of a country she says has repeatedly threatened US allies and fellow NATO members. She has also warned that the deal could deepen instability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
US lawmaker challenges Turkey’s KAAN fighter engine deal
The proposed transaction involves General Electric F110-GE-129E/F engines for Turkey’s TF-X fighter, known as KAAN. The package includes engines as well as technical data, integration support, certification, assembly, testing, and other services required for the aircraft program.
The Trump administration formally notified Congress of the proposed deal on June 24, opening a congressional review period under the Arms Export Control Act. Titus’s resolution seeks to make use of that process to halt the transfer. A joint resolution of disapproval grants lawmakers a formal mechanism to oppose an arms-related export or defense transfer. Blocking the deal, however, would require action in both chambers of Congress and would face steep political hurdles if the administration continues to support it.
S-400 dispute revives F-35 concerns
The congressional challenge comes as the State Department continues to signal that Turkey must first resolve longstanding obstacles before any broader shift in defense cooperation can take place. Those obstacles are widely understood to center on Ankara’s possession of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.
“President Trump recognizes Turkey’s strategic importance, and the US 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 adding that “the details of the legal restrictions are publicly available, and we have nothing new to add.”
The comments come despite recent friendlier communication between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump. Defense analysts and military officials say the S-400 dispute continues to limit any path toward deeper US-Turkey defense cooperation, particularly on fifth-generation fighter technology.
Washington removed Turkey from the multinational F-35 program in 2019 during Trump’s first term after Ankara acquired the S-400 system from Russia. US officials had repeatedly warned that the Russian platform posed a direct risk to the F-35, one of America’s most sensitive military programs. The United States had offered Turkey the Patriot missile defense system as an alternative. Ankara proceeded with the S-400 purchase, triggering a rupture in a defense-industrial relationship that had once placed Turkey as a part of the F-35 supply chain.
Why the KAAN engine deal matters
Turkey has promoted KAAN as a symbol of its ambition to build a domestic fifth-generation fighter and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. Even so, the aircraft’s development still depends on key Western components, including advanced engine technology. That dependence has become a point of leverage for critics in Washington. They argue that the United States should not help advance Turkey’s next-generation fighter while Ankara retains a Russian air defense system and pursues policies that unsettle US partners in the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond.
The concern is not only diplomatic. Defense experts have warned that operating the S-400 along with the F-35, or placing both systems within the same air-defense environment, could allow Russia to gather information on the aircraft’s stealth profile, sensor systems, and operational patterns. Analysts at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and other defense research institutions have argued that this risk remains central to Washington’s reluctance to proceed with the F-35 path for Turkey.
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