In 2019, Turkiye was kicked from F-35 program, under which it even managed to pay for 6 fighters. Reason for this was Turkiye's 2017 purchase from russia of four S-400 SAM system batteries (two regimental sets) with missile stockpile, totaling $2.5 billion.
However, recently Turkiye actively attempts to rid itself of these systems to return to F-35 program and obtain fifth-generation fighters while their own KAAN is still not ready and flies on fourth-generation aircraft engines.
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Turkiye-U.S. negotiations regarding permission to purchase 40 F-35 fighters and another 40 F-16s began back in fall 2025. Evidently main U.S. requirement in negotiations will be Turkiye ridding itself of its S-400s.
Since then, we already heard many different variants where Turkiye could put its S-400s. Specifically, information already appeared about possible sale of these S-400s to South Korea, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
Besides this, information sounded about extremely negative variant with possible S-400 sale back to russia, where they could strengthen russian occupation army, or go again for export, for example to India.
Now information appeared Turkiye may simply destroy all its S-400s if it ultimately does not find buyers for these systems, to finally receive permission for purchasing American fighters. Semafor publication wrote about this.
Defense Express adds such variant appears not too realistic. Turkiye will hardly agree to throw into trash all its S-400s, which are currently less than 7 years old, and for which 9 years ago they paid considerable $2.5 billion.
More probable variant appears selling these four S-400 batteries, even for symbolic sum, to some other country. At same time, this must be country maintaining good relations with rashists, still purchasing their weapons, and not even planning to purchase F-35 in future, since evidently then analogous sanctions as applied to Turkey at the time will be applied to them.
However, this is only assumption. Currently we do not know about negotiation progress with U.S., and all these attempts to rid of S-400s currently known to us reach us only as rumors. Therefore for now none of these variants can be excluded, including variant of destroying all Turkish S-400s.
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