Turkey’s Eurofighter Procurement Talks Make Progress: Two RAF Typhoon Jets Land in Ankara
As Turkey waits for TAI’s indigenously developed fifth-generation fighter jet, the KAAN, to enter service in the 2030s, it continues to seek workarounds to modernize its aging air force to counter regional threats rapidly. In line with this effort, two Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets belonging to the Royal Air Force (RAF) participating in Exercise Ferocious Falcon V in Qatar landed at Mürted Airfield Command in Ankara on December 18 for examination by Turkish authorities on their way back. Air Force Commander General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, Deputy Minister Şuay Alpay, and military personnel on duty welcomed the aircraft.
On the same day as the Eurofighter Typhoon’s arrival, Maria Eagle, UK Minister of State for Defense Procurement and Industry, visited Ankara and met with Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler. Observers believe she traveled to Ankara to discuss Turkey’s procurement of the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Turkey’s focus on Europe’s multinational fighter jet, the EF2000, is not new. Ankara has expressed interest in the Eurofighter Typhoon many times over the years following its ejection from the F-35 program and difficulties in procuring additional F-16 aircraft from the United States.
Last year, Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said in a speech to parliament that Turkey planned to buy 40 Eurofighter jets but that the platforms would need approvals from Spain, the UK, Italy, and Germany because EF-2000 consortium partners were building them. Güler also added that Italy, Spain, and England supported the sale, while Germany was against it.
However, Berlin changed its stance by giving the first green light to the process a few days before the visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul in recent months. In this context, technical talks on the sale of Eurofighters with Turkey, led by the UK, have begun.
If technical talks between the parties are positive and the participating countries do not change their current positions, the final agreement is expected to be signed soon. However, many details remain unclear, such as how many aircraft the agreement will cover, whether they will be purchased second-hand from the fleets of existing consortium countries, or in what configuration.