Turkiye sought Eurofighters after uncertainty over US F-16 plan

NATO member Turkiye requested in October 2021 to buy 40 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters and 79 modernization kits for its existing warplanes. (AFP/File)
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  • Defense Minister Yasar Guler said last week that Turkiye was in talks with Britain and Spain to buy Eurofighter Typhoon jets

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

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

鈥淭urkish 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,鈥� the source said.

鈥淭he (officials from) the UK say they could help convince Germany to back down their objections,鈥� he added.

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

鈥淔or regional power balances, Turkiye鈥檚 need for a new technology fighter jet is no secret,鈥� defense analyst Tayfun Ozberk said.

鈥淚n 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,鈥� he added.

The Eurofighter Typhoons are 鈥渞eally the last chance to keep Turkiye in the Western defense industry,鈥� according to Serhat Guvenc, an international relations professor at Kadir Has University.