Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler has announced Turkey’s intention to procure Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
“We want to purchase the Eurofighter, it is a very effective aircraft,” Güler said during a parliamentary hearing. “If possible, we plan to purchase 40 Eurofighter aircraft.”
This decision follows Turkey’s exclusion from the F-35 program in 2019, scrapping an order for more than 100 F-35 stealth fighter jets as a consequence of its controversial purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
Turkey’s interest in the Typhoon was first reported in June 2022 by the London-based publication Middle East Eye.
However, diplomatic challenges loom as Germany is expected to oppose the Eurofighter deal. Turkey is seeking support from the United Kingdom and Spain, co-manufacturers of the Eurofighter. Negotiations likely took place during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Germany on November 17, 2023.
Simultaneously, Turkey is in talks to purchase 40 F-16 Block 70 Vipers and modernize 79 existing aircraft from the United States. Congressional objections, fueled by tensions over the S-400 acquisition and Turkey’s political stances, pose uncertainties for this deal.
Turkey is also developing an indigenous 5th generation fighter jet, with the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) KAAN.