Türkiye in talks with US over F-35, plans Eurofighter purchases

Ankara continues negotiations with Washington regarding the supply of fifth-generation F-35 fighters, including discussions on lifting restrictions and sanctions to modernise Türkiye’s armed forces, and separately plans to acquire Eurofighter jets.

The Turkish Ministry of National Defence expressed confidence that a constructive consultation process on the F-35 aircraft could positively contribute to the development of Turkish-US relations in the spirit of alliance, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

The ministry also highlighted an agreement with the United Kingdom on Eurofighter deliveries.

Until new British Eurofighters become available, Ankara plans to buy 12 jets each from Qatar and Oman to meet the Turkish Air Force’s needs.

Planes from Qatar are expected to be delivered to Türkiye soon, while Oman’s Eurofighters will be transferred after undergoing modernisation.

Türkiye was expelled from the US‑led F‑35 Joint Strike Fighter programme and hit with sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) after it purchased Russian S‑400 air defence systems, which Washington said could threaten the security of F‑35 technology and NATO interoperability.

US law currently bars the transfer of F‑35 aircraft to Türkiye unless it no longer possesses the S‑400 systems, making Ankara’s retention of the Russian systems a central point of contention in talks on re‑entry to the programme.

Turkish officials, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have publicly expressed expectations that CAATSA sanctions could be lifted soon, reflecting an ongoing diplomatic effort to resolve the dispute under the current US administration.

By Jeyhun Aghazada