Türkiye believes Eurofighter sale may accelerate after Germany’s green light

ANKARA

Turkish defense ministry officials expressed their belief that authorization from Germany’s arms sale office over the sale of Eurofighters to Türkiye will accelerate the supply process.

At a briefing in Ankara, defense ministry sources responded to the questions of journalists over ongoing negotiations for the sale of 40 new Eurofighter jets between Türkiye and four consortium partners, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Germany.

In a recent statement Defense Minister Yaşar Güler underlined that Türkiye will acquire 40 new F-16s from the U.S. and 40 Eurofighters from the U.K.-led consortium.

The Eurofighter, jointly produced by Germany, Spain, Italy and the U.K., requires approval from all four countries for any sale to proceed.

“Approvals for the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Türkiye have already been given by consortium partners, the U.K., Spain and Italy. Germany has authorized to task the Temporary Sale Authority for the sale of these jets to Türkiye,” the sources informed without providing details.

“It’s been assessed that this authorization will accelerate the supply process,” sources said, also informing that technical talks between the two sides are ongoing.

Germany approved the sale of these jets to Türkiye following a change on its geopolitical assessment amid two big wars, one in the Middle East and the other in Europe between Russia and Ukraine, endangering European and regional security.

In a visit to Istanbul in October, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hinted at Berlin’s intentions to start a new era in ties, while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan underlined the need for deeper cooperation in the defense industry.

British defense secretary in Ankara

In the meantime, British Defense Secretary John Healey came to Ankara on Nov. 14 to hold talks with Defense Minister Güler.

According to sources, the two ministers exchanged views on bilateral cooperation in the field of security and in the NATO context. The U.K. is the leading country in the Eurofighter consortium and is primarily holding talks for the sale of these fighters with the client countries.

Healey and Güler were expected to raise the Eurofighter issue in their discussions. The two ministers did also visit Türkiye’s leading defense industry facility, TUSAŞ, following the PKK attack that killed five people.

Türkiye is working to strengthen its air force through the acquisition of the F-16s and Eurofighters while it is working heavily to produce its own indigenous fifth generation jetfighter, KAAN.