The Defense Industry Executive Committee, the highest decision making body for Turkish Defense acquisition projects, met on 6 May 2014 and tasked the Turkish Undersecretary for Defense Industries, or SSM in Turkish, to order the country’s first two F-35A Lightning II multirole fighters. The aircraft will be delivered as part of Low-Rate Initial Production Lot 10. The SSM was also tasked to perform necessary activities for the establishment of a Final Assembly and Check-Out line and depot-level maintenance center for the F135 engine within Turkish local industry and Turkish Air Force structure. Turkey is one of the original F-35 consortium partners, joining the project in 1999. Current Turkish defense plans call for 100 F-35As.
