Turkey has a documented Boeing aircraft order, but it is a commercial purchase by Turkish Airlines—not a Turkish government military-aircraft deal. The airline agreed in September 2026 to buy 100 Boeing 737-8s, with options for 50 more 737 MAX aircraft. Turkey has not been confirmed back in the F-35 program: President Donald Trump said the United States would consider selling F-35s, while statutory conditions tied to Turkey’s Russian S-400 system remain central to the question.
What did Trump promise about Boeing aircraft?
On September 19, 2025, ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s White House visit, Trump said he was working on trade and military deals with Erdoğan. He referred to a “large scale purchase of Boeing aircraft,” an F-16 deal and continued F-35 talks. His statement described prospective discussions and expectations; it did not announce a completed Boeing order. (Trump’s September 19, 2025 post; contemporaneous reporting by Anadolu Agency.)
The distinction matters because the eventual Boeing agreement was made by Turkish Airlines, a commercial carrier, and concerned passenger aircraft. It is separate from government-to-government defense discussions. The available announcement does not establish that the 2026 airline agreement was a military purchase or that it was the specific transaction Trump had described a year earlier.
What is the status of the Boeing order?
On September 23, 2026, the Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications announced that Turkish Airlines had signed an agreement for 100 Boeing 737-8 aircraft. The agreement also includes options for 50 additional Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and an option to switch to the 737-10.
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- Firm order: 100 Boeing 737-8 aircraft.
- Options: 50 additional 737 MAX aircraft. An option is not a firm order unless exercised.
- Variant flexibility: The announcement says there is an option to switch to the 737-10.
The Turkish government called it Turkish Airlines’ largest-ever single-aisle Boeing order. Its announcement did not state delivery dates or all contract conditions, so those details cannot be inferred from the announced aircraft count.
How does the Boeing agreement compare with the F-35 discussions?
| Development | Buyer or decision-maker | Aircraft or issue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trump statement, September 19, 2025 | Prospective discussions involving the United States and Turkey; no buyer or contract specified | Boeing aircraft, F-16s and F-35 talks | Statement of intended discussions, not a completed order or defense agreement |
| Turkish Airlines agreement, September 23, 2026 | Turkish Airlines | 100 Boeing 737-8s, plus options for 50 additional 737 MAX aircraft | Firm commercial aircraft order for 100; additional aircraft are options |
| F-35 remarks, July 7, 2026 | United States and Turkey | Potential F-35 sale and Turkey’s program status | Trump said the United States would consider a sale; no sale authorization or return was announced |
| F-35 eligibility conditions | U.S. government under federal law | Turkey’s S-400 possession and related conditions | Statutory requirements apply; reporting in July 2026 said Turkey had not met them |
The comparison shows why the Boeing order is not evidence that Turkey has secured F-35s. The first concerns passenger-aircraft procurement by an airline; the second concerns a U.S.-led fighter program and legal conditions on a possible transfer.
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Did Turkey get back into the F-35 program?
No confirmed return has been announced. At a meeting in Ankara on July 7, 2026, Trump was asked whether the United States would sell F-35s to Turkey and replied, “So, yes, it’s something, certainly, we would consider.” That expresses willingness to consider the possibility, not a decision, approval, sale, or completed program re-entry. (Official transcript of Trump’s July 7, 2026 remarks.)
The earlier White House meeting also did not restore Turkey to the program. On September 25, 2025, Erdoğan said the leaders would discuss F-35s and F-16s; Trump said they had not yet started and that they would discuss the F-35. The meeting ended without detailed deal terms, according to the Associated Press.
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Why does the S-400 matter to a possible F-35 sale?
Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 air and missile defense system was central to its removal from the F-35 program. The FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act sets conditions relevant to a possible transfer. Among them are a certification concerning Turkey no longer possessing the S-400 system and associated equipment or personnel, credible assurances that it will not accept the system in the future, and an additional condition concerning certain Russian defense equipment.
The law provides for a 90-day wait after certification before the relevant statutory limitation may be waived. That is a legal waiting period after a specified certification, not a prediction that negotiations or a sale would take 90 days. A July 2026 eKathimerini report describing a State Department letter to Congress said Turkey had not fulfilled the legal conditions for F-35 re-entry at that time. That reported assessment does not establish what a later decision might be.
What is known—and not known—about the related F-16 track?
Trump included an F-16 deal in his September 2025 statement, but the developments documented here do not establish a completed F-16 contract outcome. The F-16 discussion should therefore be treated separately from both Turkish Airlines’ 737 order and the unresolved F-35 eligibility question.
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