Türkiye’s quest for F-16, Eurofighter Typhoons advances as procurement talks heat up

The Turkish Defence Ministry has provided an update on the ongoing efforts to procure F-16/Blok 70 and Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets for the Turkish Air Force.

Zeki Akturk, the ministry's spokesperson, noted that Türkiye is prioritizing the development and acquisition of national weapon systems, but also continues to pursue international procurement for its immediate defence needs, Caliber.Az reports.

Millî Savunma Bakanlığının faaliyetleri başta olmak üzere gündemdeki konulara ilişkin olarak Haftalık Basın Bilgilendirme Toplantısı gerçekleştirildi.

Basın ve Halkla İlişkiler Müşaviri ve Bakanlık Sözcüsü Tuğamiral Zeki Aktürk tarafından icra edilen toplantıda şu bilgiler… pic.twitter.com/Ei6mDfwAle

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) January 30, 2025

"In line with our long-term strategy, our priority is to meet these requirements with our own national systems. Until we achieve full operational readiness of our national assets, such as the national fighter jet KAAN, the combat trainer HÜRJET, the unmanned aerial vehicles KIZILELMA and ANKA-3, we will continue working to secure the F-16/Blok 70 and Eurofighter aircraft needed by our Air Force," Akturk stated.

The ministry official went on to explain that Türkiye has already sent a requirements definition document to the UK Ministry of Defence and the relevant company for the purchase of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets. "We expect to receive a quotation and anticipate being contacted in the coming days," he added.

Regarding the F-16/Blok 70, Akturk confirmed that technical discussions are progressing positively.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to remove the ban on the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets, shortly after speculations that it had decided to scale back the $23 billion deal for F-16s with the US. Türkiye has been eager to sign fighter jet contracts in response to Greece’s procurement of Rafale fighters and the impending acquisition of F-35 stealth fighters.

The aircraft is manufactured by the Eurofighter Typhoon consortium, which includes the UK, Germany, Spain, and Italy. All consortium members have accepted the sale of these cutting-edge multi-role fighters to Ankara, except Germany, which suspended arms sales to Türkiye in 2019 following a Turkish attack on the Kurdish YPG group in Syria.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, 4++ generation multirole fighter aircraft with a delta wing. It is an extremely agile aircraft designed to be an efficient dogfighter in warfare. Over the years, the aircraft has received upgrades bolstering its air-to-surface strike capability and compatibility with various weapons and equipment.

The aircraft has reduced radar cross-section, sensor fusion, adduced avionics, and super-cruise capability. The Eurofighter is powered by two Eurojet EJ200 engines that can produce 20,230 pounds of thrust when the afterburners are engaged. The EJ200 is an amazing engine that provides the Eurojet with supercruise, fuel efficiency, and a high thrust-to-weight ratio.

The Eurofighter has remarkable radar absorption since only 15 per cent of its surface is made of metal. The remaining coating is composite to lower the radar cross-section. Additionally, the jet engine conceals the front of the engines, further bolstering the aircraft’s partial stealth capabilities. The Typhoon can operate in contested airspace, thanks to advanced sensor systems like infrared tracking and active electronically scanned radar.

By Vafa Guliyeva