"The department is aware that the Turkish pilots ... are not flying," Pentagon spokesman, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Mike Andrews, told Reuters.
Four Turkish pilots and 47 personnel were undergoing training at the facility in Arizona, where they were instructed by the US Air Force on how to maintain the fifth-generation jets ‐ four of which have already been ceremonially transferred to Turkey, without leaving the US soil though. Turkey planned to deploy the first batch of fighters by November, alongside the Russian S-400 air defense systems that are due for delivery in summer.