In a television interview with the TV100 channel, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler announced that Turkey will the long-planned purchase of 40 Eurofighters. planned for some time. According to Güler, the decision, which had been delayed for years, has now come about due to pressure from the consortium partners Great Britain, Italy and Spain on Germany.
“Germany has resisted for a long time. But thanks to the positive contributions from the UK, Italy and Spain, Germany has finally responded positively. We will buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoons. We will also receive 40 F-16 Vipers.”
Güler explained that he assumed that the government crisis, which had led to the early election decision in Germany, would have no influence on Eurofighter sales.
The order is estimated to be worth around 5.3 billion euros. Germany’s most important condition is that Turkey must not violate Greek airspace with these fighters.
Officially, Germany has not publicly rejected Turkey’s request for Eurofighters. During Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Berlin in November last year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized Turkey’s right to self-defence and the importance of Turkey in the NATO-defense alliance. As Eurofighter fighter jets are co-produced by Germany, the German government must give its approval for an export. However, no decision has yet been made in this regard.
Turkish air force faces significant modernization
On 6 June, Turkey accepted the US government’s offer for 40 new F-16 Block 70s and for the modernization of 79 F-16s currently in service to the F-16V configuration (-> Details in the article “50 years of F-16s and no end in sight”). The comprehensive offer from the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency lists equipment and armament for around 21.8 billion euros. This also includes the ultra-modern AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array radars.
Turkey develops its own stealth fighter jet
Since the early 2010s, Turkish Aerospace Industries has been developing a 5th generation twin-engine fighter aircraft called Kaan (“Ruler”). The first flight of a prototype took place on February 21. Pre-series production is due to start in the foreseeable future, with deliveries of the first aircraft due to begin towards the end of the decade.
The Eurofighter Typhoon
The performance characteristics of the Eurofighter Typhoon make it a leading combat aircraft in several roles. Extremely powerful, efficient engines, coupled with a low overall weight, give it an exceptional thrust-to-weight ratio.
The combination of a proven, maneuverable airframe made of stealth materials with state-of-the-art sensors, control and weapon systems ensures optimum combat capability – both beyond visual range and in close combat.
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