Turkey has submitted a request to purchase 40 Typhoon fighter jets from BAE Systems.

This is reported by the publication Defense Security Asia.

The request has been sent to the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom, which is to make a decision on the sale of the aircraft and the export of British technology to Turkey.

The implementation of this potential export contract will be entrusted to the United Kingdom, namely to BAE Systems, which carries out partial production and final assembly of Typhoon fighters at the company in Wharton.

“The expected offer has been received by our Ministry and the evaluation process is now underway,” the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom told Defense Security Asia.

This request may bring Turkey to the finish line in the purchase of new aircraft from the Eurofighter consortium, negotiations with which have been delayed for a long time due to constant problems, including bans, such as those imposed by Germany.

Today, it is known that Turkey plans to purchase Typhoon aircraft in the new Tranche 4 version, which will complement the F-16 fleet. The peculiarity of this version is the use of a modern radar with the CAPTOR-E air defense system, an integrated set of missile weapons, including Meteor missiles, and other systems.

Turkey’s path to buying Typhoon

In 2022, Turkey began to consider the Eurofighter Typhoon as a temporary solution to modernize its air force, especially after the country’s exclusion from the F-35 program and the ban on their sale due to the purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.

In May 2022, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin confirmed that the country had been negotiating with Europe over the Typhoon in case the F-16 deal with the United States failed.

Already in November 2023, Turkish Defense Minister Yashar Guler officially announced Turkey’s intention to purchase 40 Typhoon aircraft, starting negotiations with the United Kingdom and Spain as the main members of the Eurofighter consortium.

However, Germany, which is also part of Eurofighter, opposed the sale due to fears that the aircraft could be used against Kurdish groups in Syria and Iraq.

Nevertheless, pressure from the other governments in the consortium on the German government continued throughout the year to implement the sale, which would allow the main companies to make a significant profit from the sale and improve the export potential of the aircraft.

On November 14, 2024, Germany officially confirmed that it intended to lift the ban on the export of Typhoon aircraft to Turkey and that the parties would continue to work on the deal.

Additionally, in December 2024, two Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters arrived in Ankara, where the Turkish side was able to get acquainted with the aircraft in detail.