AP: Trump plans to bypass Congress on $700 million engine sale to Türkiye

The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to bypass Congress to approve the sale of aircraft engines for Türkiye's fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet program, the Associated Press reported, citing sources.

According to the report, the US State Department has notified key lawmakers that the administration intends to override congressional opposition to the proposed sale, valued at about $700 million.

It said the F-110 jet engines would power Türkiye’s KAAN fighter jets.

The KAAN fighter has been under development in Türkiye since 2017 as part of the National Combat Aircraft program.

Serial production is expected to begin in 2028. Turkish authorities have previously said the aircraft will outperform the US-made F-35 and eventually replace the Turkish Air Force's F-16 fleet.

Türkiye purchased four battalions of Russia's S-400 air defence missile systems for $2.5 billion in 2017.

In October 2019, Russia's arms exporter Rosoboronexport announced that the contract had been fulfilled.

Following the deal, Ankara was removed from the US-led F-35 fighter program.

US lawmakers have repeatedly opposed expanding military-technical cooperation with Türkiye, including the proposed sale of engines for the country's fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

Officials argued that operating the Russian-made system alongside the F-35 could expose sensitive information about the aircraft's capabilities to Moscow.

During the Oval Office meeting, Vice President JD Vance said Washington was examining options for supplying Türkiye with the advanced fighter jets, stressing that any potential sale would depend on Ankara meeting the requirements of U.S. law. However, strong bipartisan opposition remains in Congress to restoring F-35 sales while Türkiye continues to possess the S-400 systems. Among the critics is Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch of Idaho.

Speaking alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte last week, President Donald Trump was asked whether he planned to bring “a big gift bag for Erdogan” during his visit, referring to Türkiye's interest in acquiring F-110 jet engines and F-35 fighter jets.

“Yeah, I think so,” Trump responded. “Yeah, I’m going to probably do something that’s going to make him very happy.”

Trump had also indicated last September that the United States could soon resume F-35 sales to Türkiye.

Relations between the United States and Türkiye have also shown signs of improvement in other areas. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice dismissed a high-profile case against Türkiye's state-owned Halkbank, which had faced allegations of helping Iran circumvent U.S. sanctions.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov