Turkiye sought Eurofighters after uncertainty over US F-16 plan

ANKARA: Turkiye began discussing buying 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets with European states after it saw that its request for F-16 aircraft from the US may not work out, a Turkish Defense Ministry source said on Thursday.

Defense Minister Yasar Guler said last week that Turkiye was in talks with Britain and Spain to buy Eurofighter Typhoon jets, though Germany objected.

Guler was holding talks on the issue with his British counterpart Grant Shapps in Ankara on Thursday, the source said. Turkiye wants to buy the most advanced, newly built version of the Eurofighter, he added.

NATO member Turkiye requested in October 2021 to buy 40 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters and 79 modernization kits for its existing warplanes.

President Joe Biden’s administration supports the $20-billion sale, but there have been objections in the US Congress over Turkiye’s delaying of NATO enlargement and its human rights record.

Turkiye has informed NATO that the ratification of Sweden’s membership bid will not be completed by the alliance’s foreign ministers meeting next week, further complicating matters.

“Turkish air forces need new aircraft. Our first choice is F-16s … But considering the possibility that we might not get a positive response in this prolonged process, the Eurofighter Typhoon jets are the most suitable alternatives to F-16s,” the source said.

“The (officials from) the UK say they could help convince Germany to back down their objections,” he added.

The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

“For regional power balances, Turkiye’s need for a new technology fighter jet is no secret,” defense analyst Tayfun Ozberk said.

“In this context, the move to acquire the Eurofighters may have been made to pressure the Biden administration to persuade Congress to sell F-16s as soon as possible,” he added.

The Eurofighter Typhoons are “really the last chance to keep Turkiye in the Western defense industry,” according to Serhat Guvenc, an international relations professor at Kadir Has University.