• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Türkiye - Eurofighter

Ankara said in 2023 it was eager to acquire Eurofighter jets, but the talks have been slow to get off the ground, largely because of Berlin’s opposition to Turkey’s stance on the Gaza conflict. Although London is leading the talks with interested parties, any of the four nations may veto a sale. Minister of National Defense Yasar Güler said in a statement, "Turkey is continuing its work to procure 40 Eurofighters by meeting with England and Spain. They are trying to convince Germany."

The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium consisting of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo and involving Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain. The failure to secure new contracts could potentially lead to the cessation of Eurofighter production by 2030. Germany’s final tranche-4 aircraft from the 38-unit Quadriga purchase is expected to be delivered in 2030, and the high-rate production of the New Generation Fighter under the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program may not commence before 2040.

On 16 November 2023, Turkey’s defense minister, Yasar Gular, officially declared ongoing negotiations with Spain and the United Kingdom to acquire Typhoon jets. Turkey’s announcement of its plans to purchase 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets faced obstacles due to the program’s collaborative nature. Germany, in particular, opposed the sale to Turkey. “We want to buy Eurofighter. It is a very effective aircraft. These aircraft are related to the UK, Germany, and Spain,” he told parliament. “Both the UK and Spain say ‘yes,’ and now they are working to persuade Germany. The UK and Spain say: ‘We will solve that problem’. If solved, we plan to purchase 40 Eurofighter jets.”

While the discussions focused on the F-35 program are being left behind in Turkey’s fighter jet procurement, two different dimensions come to the forefront. The first of these is Turkey’s production of KAAN and HÜRJET with national resources and adding them to the Air Force’s inventory. The second issue is procurement from external sources through ready-made purchases or assembly. Turkey needs to supply suitable fighter jets within the scope of "urgent combat need" to its aging and renewing inventory and to include national systems with them. Considering recent conflicts, there is no tolerance for loss of time.

The Eurofighter Typhoon was produced by a European consortium as a 4++ generation or 4.5 generation fighter jet. It has a speed of 2,124 kilometers per hour. Its payload capacity is over 6,000 kilos. These are planes known to be more agile and faster than the F-16. The fighter plane, which is not a 5th generation fighter plane, is expressed as a multi-role fighter plane. It was stated that the plane, which is stated to lack stealth capability, does not have as low radar visibility as 5th generation fighter planes. When the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-57 was compared with the Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes of European countries, it was stated that the Su-57 aircraft was ahead.

Germany lifted the obstacle to the purchase of 40 Eurofighter Typoon fighter jets for the Turkish Air Force. Berlin had changed its view of its NATO ally Turkey, especially considering the possibility of Donald Trump being elected president in the US and the possibility of Russia increasing its attacks on Ukraine. The aim is to secure NATO's southern flank and unite forces in the face of declining support for Ukraine. The Berlin administration hopes to be able to use Erdogan 's communication channels with the Kremlin in the future. Another sign of Germany 's rapprochement with Turkey was Scholz's announcement that the high-strategic joint government consultations, which were last held in 2016, would be restarted.

Germany, which had been blocking the sale for a long time, approved the start of technical talks. A technical delegation from England, Italy, Spain and Germany, which make up the Eurofighter consortium, came to Turkey and started talks 11 October 2024. The talks, which were planned to last approximately 3 weeks, discussed many technical details, including the stages of the fighter jet procurement process, how personnel training will be provided and how maintenance programs will be implemented. The sale will be made after opinions are received on the stages of the fighter jets' procurement process, how personnel training will be done, and how maintenance programs will be implemented.

If Germany also gives final approval to the sale after technical talks, Turkey will purchase 24 Eurofighter fighter jets in the first stage as soon as possible. This number will be increased to 40 in the later stages of the process. With the procurement of Eurofighter fighter jets, aircraft with AESA radar will enter the Turkish Air Force inventory for the first time. Experts emphasize that Eurofighter will be the most suitable solution until the national fighter jet KAAN and F-16 Block 70 fighter jets enter the inventory. At this point, the main energy will be spent on KAAN reaching the mass production stage.

These aircraft, which will arrive in batches, will be manufactured in England in the first stage and sent to Turkey. Some news reports have stated that they can also be purchased second-hand, but that is not currently on the agenda. Priority is given to purchasing brand new aircraft that will be released from production. Up to 40 aircraft can be purchased depending on the need. 35-36 aircraft can also be purchased, this will be evaluated. It is said that 'If it were approved today, the first batch of Eurofighters could be purchased within 2-3 years'. It is also said that the pilots will be ready within 1 year. The costs that are written aside, if the ammunition such as missiles will be purchased along with the planes, there is an average cost estimate of 5-6 billion euros.

A project to possibly supply Turkey with Eurofighter jets is an effort being driven by the United Kingdom and is in the early stages, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said 20 October 2024. “There are certain projects that are just getting started, … one that the UK government is taking forward and for which negotiations have now begun,” Scholz said when asked about the issue at a news conference in Istanbul with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Turkey is a member of NATO, and that’s why we always take decisions that lead to concrete deliveries,” Scholz said. There was no immediate comment from the British government.

Scholz stated that they will discuss many issues with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul as part of his visit to Türkiye, continued as follows: "The issue of migration is, of course, always an important issue. It is right and logical for the European Union and Turkey to work together on this issue. We have always supported this and called on the European Union to expand the relevant agreements." Scholz drew attention to the issues to be discussed other than migration, saying, "There are other issues we need to discuss regarding bilateral relations between Turkey and Europe and relations between Germany and Turkey."

When asked about the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet joint project, Scholz emphasized that it was a subject of negotiations between the British and Turkish governments, as the UK was the leading country, and said, "Of course, we are clear on whether we will stop it or not. However, it is still too early, and that is why we said let's have a negotiation first."

Before Sholz's visit, there were claims that these planes could be given on the condition that they were not used against Greece in the Aegean or the PKK in Syria. The Ministry of National Defence denied the claims that a condition was put forward. It is emphasized that these claims were voiced by a group trying to create a negative perception in Germany. The German government had frightened Greece with its new stance on the supply of defense industry products to Ankara, and that Scholz praised the recent softening of relations between Athens and Ankara. It was also noted that Berlin had been talking about a "new beginning" in relations with Turkey for a while.

Greece, which had purchased 34 Rafale-type fighter jets from France, will also purchase 40 F-35s from the US. Undoubtedly, enduring such a high cost will be felt as a burden by Greek citizens. There is no need to emphasize the ammunition, maintenance and operating costs of the F-35s. However, it is necessary to see that the Greek Armed Forces are gaining a qualitative advantage in terms of the balance of air forces with Turkey in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. The Rafale has superior qualities compared to the F-16 Block 70s in terms of altitude and maneuver. The F-35s, on the other hand, are effective fighter jets in their own class with their low radar silhouette, intelligence capability, network-focused operation and remote ammunition release.

Eurofighters have sharper maneuverability than the Rafale, high altitude flight at 42 thousand and 60 thousand feet respectively, and speeds of 1.8 and 2 Mach respectively. But the development that should be taken as a reference in both the establishment of Turkey’s air force balance with Greece and the procurement of Eurofighters is not Greece’s purchase of Rafales. The search for balance against the Russians’ Su-35s and Su-57s is a more prioritized topic.

According to the German news magazine Der Spiegel, Berlin had recently authorised major arms deliveries to Ankara, including anti-aircraft missiles worth several hundred million euros. This marked a clear change of direction after Germany drastically reduced its arms exports following Turkish offensives in Syria beginning in 2016. Olaf Scholz and Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on many issues, including their determination not to allow the recent optimism in Turkish-German relations to be damaged by deep differences of opinion on the Middle East conflict.

Chancellor Scholz and President Erdogan appeared to get along well, and that they also knew which issues would ruin their new friendship. Erdogan acknowledged Scholz’s efforts to lift German restrictions on defence sales to Turkey. “We wish to leave behind some of the difficulties experienced in the past in the supply of defence industry products and develop our cooperation,” Erdogan told reporters, expressing his “appreciation” for Scholz’s efforts to find solutions to the issues.

Germany had previously been a large-scale armaments supplier to Turkey, but in recent years, German weapons exports to Turkey have been lower. Sales to Turkey have been controversial in Germany partly due to some of the Turkish government’s international actions. After Turkey’s initial ground offensive in northern Syria in 2016, German export permits to Ankara were reduced significantly. Scholz stated, "Turkey is a NATO member and therefore we continue to make decisions that will lead to concrete deliveries. This is a matter of course and we have made such decisions recently. And there will be more."

Another bone of contention in German-Turkish ties is Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza. Erdogan on 19 October 2024 accused Israel of committing genocide in its assault on the Gaza Strip. He also called for pressure on Israel so more humanitarian aid can reach Gaza and accused Israel of expansionist policies. Scholz rejected Erdogan’s genocide accusation, and the German leader said civilian victims on all sides of the conflict should be mourned equally. He called for a ceasefire and the release of captives held by Palestinian armed groups in Gaza.

Communications Director Altun responded to the statements made by CHP Chairman Özel. Altun stated that the claims that Turkey had approved the acceptance of third-country nationals in return for purchasing Eurofighter aircraft were completely false. Presidency Communications Director Fahrettin Altun made a written statement starting with the following words: " In his speech today, we witnessed CHP Chairman Özgür Özel reiterating the claims that "refugees are/will be sent from Germany to Turkey by planes", which were denied three times by our Center for Combating Disinformation on different dates."

In a statement he made on social media, Altun said , "First of all, there is absolutely no question of an agreement to send citizens of third countries (Syria, Afghanistan, etc.) who do not have a legal right to reside in Germany to Turkey ." "The claims that Turkey approved the acceptance of third-country nationals "in exchange for purchasing Eurofighter aircraft" are completely false," said Altun , responding to the claims that an agreement was made between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Altun, who stated that they repeatedly stated that CHP Chairman Özel should not mediate disinformation activities and that the public should be informed correctly, concluded his statement by saying, "It is absolutely out of the question for Turkish citizens to be sent to Turkey "in bulk" and third-country citizens to be sent to Turkey either collectively or individually, for Turkish authorities to accept such a practice, and for an agreement to be signed for this purpose."