Turkey will spend at least 2 billion U.S. dollars to purchase 120 new-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF), a local daily reported Thursday.
"We may buy 120 JSF aircraft, instead of 100," Murad Bayar, head of the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, was quoted by Daily News as saying, Xinhua reported.
Last year, Turkey announced its intention to buy 100 F-35 fighter jets. The F-35 is being developed and built by a consortium led by U.S. firm Lockheed Martin, whose members also include companies from several European allies, including Turkey.
Turkey's potential decision to buy 120 F-35s would bring the cost of Ankara's program from 11 billion U.S. dollars to at least 13 billion U.S. dollars, according to the report.
The country's eventual decision on the number of fighters to be acquired will depend on the amount of financing available in the upcoming years, the report quoted another procurement official as saying.