Turkey Set to Purchase 20 Eurofighter Typhoon Fighter Jets
Kazi Abul Monsur#
According to Al Jazeera News Agency, Turkey is moving forward with a major plan to modernize its air force by allocating a substantial new defense budget. On October 27, in Ankara, Turkey and the United Kingdom officially signed an initial agreement worth £8 billion (approximately $10.7 billion) for the purchase of 20 state-of-the-art Eurofighter Typhoon (EF-2000) fighter jets.
Turkey aims to acquire the upgraded version of the 4++ generation Eurofighter Typhoon, including weapons, maintenance, and training packages. In addition, Ankara is reportedly seeking to procure several refurbished Tranche-3A Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Qatar to temporarily fill its operational gaps. However, the Qatari government has not released any official information regarding this potential transfer.
Despite its remarkable progress in combat drones, air defense systems, and missile technology, Turkey’s air combat fleet still relies heavily on aging U.S.-made F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. Meanwhile, Greece—Turkey’s long-time regional rival—has upgraded most of its F-16 fleet to the Block 70/72 standard with U.S. assistance.
Under a new deal, Greece is also set to receive 20 F-35A stealth fighter jets, posing a major challenge to Turkey’s regional air dominance. The Turkish government has repeatedly requested the modernization of its existing F-16s, but claims the U.S. has been delaying approval for political reasons.
Observers suggest that beyond countering Greece, Turkey’s push for new fighter jets is also motivated by concerns over potential future conflicts involving Israel or instability in the broader Middle East. Recent short conflicts in the region—particularly the poor performance of Iran’s air force and air defense systems against Israeli attacks—have reportedly influenced Ankara’s urgency for modernization.
Turkey’s Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) completed the prototype of its TF-X (KAAN) next-generation stealth fighter on November 4, 2021. Although multiple prototypes have been built, the aircraft is not expected to enter service before 2028–2029, leaving a significant capability gap for the Turkish Air Force.
To bridge this gap, Turkey is seeking an immediate solution through the Eurofighter Typhoon deal with the United Kingdom, which includes both weapons and training packages. However, analysts speculate that possible U.S. political pressure could still block the deal, as Washington may discourage European allies from finalizing such transactions with Ankara.
Currently, the Turkish Air Force operates around 243 F-16s (Block 30/40) and 48 aging F-4 Phantom aircraft, with no other advanced fighters in service. Despite a well-planned roadmap for indigenous aircraft development, engine technology limitations, low production capacity, and Western export restrictions continue to hinder Turkey’s progress.
Notably, in 2019, the U.S. expelled Turkey from the F-35 stealth fighter program due to its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, despite Turkey’s prior multi-billion-dollar investment in the project. The incident underscored Turkey’s strategic realization of its overreliance on Western defense partners and the need for domestic self-sufficiency in military aviation.##picture/bbc