US to stop future training of Turkish pilots for F-35 jets - report

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The United States military will no longer train future Turkish pilots on how to fly F-35 fighter jets, US officials told media, amid escalating disagreements between the NATO allies over weapons' systems.

Two US officials speaking on the condition of anonymity revealed the move, which is subject to change, this week to Reuters. 

The US military trains four Turkish and counterparts from other nations on the fifth-generation fighter jets at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. 

The report added that the decision only applies to Turkish pilots and maintenance crews not currently at the base; however, halting all training is being considered.

The Lockheed Martin manufactured planes sell for around $100 million each. Turkey has expressed interest in purchasing 100 to update their fleet.

However, the US government has held up the sale to its strategic NATO ally amid Ankara's insistence on purchasing Russian-manufactured S-400 surface-to-air defense systems. Washington deems the S-400s incompatible with current NATO systems. 

The United States was scheduled to deliver some F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey in April, but suspended them in a bid to make Ankara reconsider the purchase from Moscow. 

"There is absolutely no question of (Turkey) taking a step back from the S-400s purchase. That is a done deal," Erdogan said in Istanbul on Saturday. "There is absolutely no question of (Turkey) taking a step back from the S-400s purchase. That is a done deal," Erdogan said in Istanbul.

He continued that after the S-400s, Turkey will work with Russia on the production of the S-500 missile system. The US has offered to sell its Patriot surface-to-air defense system as an alternative to the Russian system.

Ties between NATO allies Turkey and the US have frayed over multiple issues including US support for the anti-Islamic State (ISIS) Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who are viewed as terrorists by Ankara and the US failure to extradite Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara blames for the 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan's government.

The US Ambassador to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, claimed that Russia is trying to "continue to probe ways" to disrupt the Atlantic alliance by exerting its pressure on Turkey.

“You have to make a choice. You can have one or the other but not both,” she said on Tuesday. 

She added that NATO is "watching carefully" because the Turkish decision affects NATO's role as a "security umbrella for all of Europe and North America.”