DEFENSE NEWS - Sale of 20 EUROFIGHTER Jets to Türkiye: context and consequences

The President of the Republic of Türkiye, Mr. Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN, and the British Prime Minister, Mr. Keir STARMER, signed an agreement on October 27, 2025, in Ankara for the sale of 20 EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON fighter-bombers. The first deliveries are scheduled for 2030.

The contract value differs depending on whether it is reported by Mr. STARMER or the spokesperson of Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defense. According to the former, it amounts to $10.7 billion, including economic benefits for the UK ecosystem and future options whose details are not yet known. The latter aligns with a statement from BAE Systems, the project’s prime contractor, which reports £5.4 billion (approximately $7 billion) covering the serial production of 20 new-generation aircraft (Tranche 4), as well as the sale of pods, air-to-air missiles including the METEOR, and air-to-ground BRIMSTONE missiles.

In parallel, Türkiye is in discussions with Qatar and Oman to purchase 24 used EUROFIGHTER jets, 12 from each country, which would bring the total number of these aircraft in the Turkish Air Force to 44. An option to purchase an additional 20 new aircraft has been mentioned, but it is unclear whether these planes would be in addition to or replace the 24 used aircraft.

The Turkish Air Force currently includes about 250 fighter-bombers: just under 20 F-4E PHANTOM TERMINATOR 2020s, which are very old even though they were modernized under the ŞİMŞEK and IŞIK programs, and 234 F-16C/D FIGHTING FALCONs that are not of the latest generation (35 Block 30M currently being modernized under the ÖZGÜR I and II programs, 170 Block 40/50M and 29 Block 50+, with Block 40/50M and 50+ being modernized under the PO-III and F-16 MSM/CCIP programs). The purchase of 79 modernization kits for the 29 Block 50+ and 50 of the 170 Block 40M aircraft was abandoned for budgetary reasons, leaving the Turkish defense industry responsible for this program. It is therefore clear that the EUROFIGHTER purchase contract was crucial to halt the decline of the Turkish Air Force.

Türkiye’s interest in this aircraft is not new. It dates back to the 1990s when the plane was still under development and had not yet made its first flight. Talks between Türkiye and the consortium were regular but did not materialize because Ankara was torn between the EUROFIGHTER, due to contract specifications and acquisition and maintenance costs, and the F-35/JSF, which it eventually joined in 1999 as a Level 3(1) partner.

Following its exclusion from the F-35 program on July 17, 2019, due to the purchase of Russian S-400 air and missile defense systems, Türkiye launched its national fighter program, the TF-X/KAAN. According to recent political statements, this aircraft will be delivered to the forces starting in 2030, but the timeline has been repeatedly delayed. Ankara regularly pressures Washington to reinstate it into the F-35 program, but so far without success, despite expressed optimism. As evidence that relations with the United States are not fully stable, negotiations for the purchase of 40 F-16 Block 70 VIPERs—aircraft that would increase the operational capacity of the Turkish Air Force in the meantime—have not yet been concluded. Acquisition of the RAFALE is not feasible due to the strategic partnership between France and Greece. The Swedish GRIPEN is not a fifth-generation aircraft, which Türkiye is seeking. China and Russia are thus the only other countries capable of offering an operational fifth-generation fighter jet, but the “lesson of the S-400s” has likely discouraged Ankara from pursuing this option. The only remaining solution was the EUROFIGHTER, but it was necessary to overcome the German obstacle, mainly related to disagreements concerning respect for the rule of law in Türkiye. This was resolved on July 23, 2025: the halt of the Warton production line in the UK, and threats to the Manching facility in Germany, likely weighed heavily in Berlin’s decision.

The sale of 20 EUROFIGHTER jets from the UK to Türkiye is part of a “win-win” process. For Türkiye, it is a further step toward defense industrial autonomy, as it is highly probable that the contract will include technology transfers, especially if, as suggested by some political statements, joint aircraft production and integration of Turkish national munitions are planned. For the UK, the Labour Prime Minister can only welcome the economic benefits, with the creation of 20,000 jobs according to his statements. In any case, both parties highlight the strategic Turkish-British relationship, emphasizing that it effectively contributes to strengthening NATO capabilities.

(1) Türkiye joined the concept development phase in 1999 and, in 2002, the system development and demonstration phase as a Level 3 partner.

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Article written by Patrice MOYEUVRE, General Officer in 2s of the French Air and Space Force, researcher at IRIS and Director of defense and security projects within Advantis.