US Refuses to Send F-16 Trainers to Turkey to Fill Lack of Fired Turkish Pilots

The United States has rejected Ankara's request to send F-16 training pilots in order to fill the gap of pilots dismissed after last year's military coup attempt in Turkey, media reported Wednesday.

"If you send your F-16 pilots to the U.S., we can train them here," the US response said, as quoted by Hurriyet Daily News.

Turkey, on its part, insisted on pilots operating in its own bases.

According to the media outlet, Ankara has sent similar requests to some other states, however, Pakistan was the only country to accept Turkey’s request, but Washington has opposed this move, as any US military equipment purchase, sale, maintenance and training between third countries needs US approval.
 (Sputnik)
 30/8/17