Reuters quoted a source from the Turkish Defense Ministry as saying that Turkey is in talks with European countries to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole jet fighters. Ankara made this decision after realizing that the US may not keep its commitment to sell more F-16 fighters.
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said last week that Türkiye was in talks with Britain and Spain to buy Typhoons, despite Germany's opposition to the idea.
The source added that Türkiye wants to buy the latest and most advanced version of the Eurofighter. The British Ministry of Defense also confirmed that Mr. Guler had discussed the issue with British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps during a meeting in Ankara on November 23.
The Eurofighter Typhoon multirole jet fighter is manufactured by a joint venture between Europe's largest aviation corporations. (Photo: Reuters)
"The Turkish Air Force is in need of new aircraft. Our first choice was the F-16, but considering the capabilities, we did not receive a positive response from the US. Therefore, the Eurofighter Typhoon is the most suitable alternative," the source said.
"Officials from Britain say they can help convince Germany to back the deal," the Reuters source said.
Since October 2021, Türkiye has requested the US to sell 40 more F-16s and 79 modernization packages for its existing F-16s.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has said in many statements that it supports the $20 billion deal, but the deal has faced opposition in the US Congress after Ankara repeatedly pressed for NATO expansion.
For its part, Türkiye has informed NATO that ratification of Sweden's membership will not be completed before the alliance's foreign ministers' meeting next week, further complicating the matter.
In a recent statement, the Turkish Defense Ministry quoted Mr. Guler as saying that Ankara wants to further develop cooperation with the UK in many areas, specifically development cooperation in the manufacture of advanced fighter aircraft as well as an agreement to purchase 40 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.
The Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter is built by a multinational consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by Airbus (AIR.PA), BAE Systems (BAES.L) and Leonardo (LDOF.MI).
“It is no secret that Turkey needs new technology fighter jets to balance power in the region. In this context, the Eurofighter purchase could be done to pressure the Biden administration to convince the US Congress to sell the F-16s as soon as possible,” said defense analyst Tayfun Ozberk.
Serhat Guvenc, professor of international relations at Kadir Has University, said the Eurofighter Typhoon deal was really Türkiye’s last chance to keep working with the Western defense industry. Otherwise, Ankara would look for other options.
"The purchase of the Eurofighter could create some operational problems because the Turkish air force operates under US standards. However, the Eurofighter is a joint product of NATO members so the differences will not be too big."
Tra Khanh (Source: Reuters)
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