In 2019, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron “brain dead”. Today it seems that he is negotiating with him for the purchase of the SAMP anti-aircraft system, even considering the acquisition of French Rafales, despite Paris not giving approval yet.
Speaking to CNN Turk, the analyst and retired Vice Admiral Erdoğan Karakuş pointed out that the possible purchase of Rafale from Turkey would be a right choice to be used in the two aircraft carriers manufactured by Turkey, after the cancellation of the acquisition of F-35 from the USA .
“Why are the Rafales important? See, because we couldn’t get the F-35s, the following environment was created,” said Karakuş. “You know that the ship ‘Anadolu’ was built to take on the role of an aircraft carrier and would be equipped with F-35s. Next arrives the ship ‘Trakya’ which would also be equipped with F-35s.
“In a way that would be the aircraft carriers. But since we couldn’t get the F-35s it says the aircraft carrier plan was lost,” he continued, adding: “At the same time the Rafale planes are aircraft which somehow can also do vertical take offand landing from aircraft carriers.
“In my opinion the French are ready for it. Why? Because they are in conflict with America.”
Karakuş recently stated that Turkey was looking to replace the old F-16 and F-4 with the F-35.
A plan, however, that was wrecked after the expulsion of Ankara from the production program due to its acquisition of the Russian S-400.
Now it seems that Ankara is even turning to France, for the acquisition of Rafale.
“I believe that Mr. President of the Republic wanted to show that if the story with the F-16s goes this way, then he can make a move that would lead to the purchase of Rafale from France,” Karakuş emphasised.
READ MORE: CNN Türk Analyst: “What is happening is terrible, Greece is receiving the F-35 fighter jet.”