With the German government giving its approval to the Eurofighter Consortium to start talks on a potential sale of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft to Turkey, negotiations with Ankara are now underway.
According to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the United Kingdom is the Consortium member leading the negotiations.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine multirole aircraft that is now jointly produced by Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo, three of the European Union’s (EU) biggest aerospace and defence contractors.
Since its induction in 2003, the Typhoon has undergone four significant upgrades, with the Tranche 4 being its latest variant. Today, the fighter in its various iterations is in service with Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Austria.
The Middle East Eye reports that Ankara is seeking 40 Typhoon jets in a deal potentially worth upwards of $5.6 billion USD. Reports add that Turkey could acquire the aircraft in multiple batches, with the initial set consisting of 24 aircraft.
Turkey’s interest in acquiring the Eurofighter Typhoon dates back to November 2023, when Yaşar Güler, the National Minister of Defence told Turkish media that plans were underway to request 40 units from the Eurofighter Consortium.
At the time, Güler remarked that Turkey’s ability to buy the Typhoon was contingent on securing approvals from each of the Consortium members. By late 2023, Turkey had received a ‘yes’ from the United Kingdom and Spain, but Germany had yet to give its approval.
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