Given the United States’ persistent skepticism in the sale of F-16 fighter aircraft to Turkey, Ankara has officially announced that it will buy the Eurofighter Typhoon if the United States does not get the Fighting Falcons..

Speaking to local news channel NTV on September 23, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin confirmed the previously reported plans, saying: “We have negotiations with Europe regarding the Eurofighter; Turkey will never run out of alternatives.”

In October 2021, Turkey has requested 40 F-16s and nearly 80 modernization kits from the United States for its current fleet of Fighting Falcons.. With 270 F-16 C/Ds in service, the F-16 has been the mainstay of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) for the last 35 years.

However, the aging fleet has made urgent reforms needed, especially in the face of hostilities with neighboring Greece.

Earlier, Ankara was excluded from the F-35 Lightning II program due to its decision to purchase the Russian S-400 missile defense system. The United States then imposed CAATSA sanctions on Turkey and refused to sell its fifth-generation stealth fighter.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s arch-foe Greece has not only acquired France’s advanced Rafale fighter jets, but has also set its sights on the American F-35 jets. With this modernization, Turkey has felt the heat and has been looking for alternatives if the US does not approve the sale of the F-16.

After Ankara lifted its veto power over Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO, the US government backed the sale of the fighters to Turkey. According to Kalin, the administration of US President Joe Biden supports a possible sale in June.

However, the US Congress has put obstacles in the way of the deal, which has become a drag.

In June, the EurAsian Times reported that Turkey has expressed interest in the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft, more capable, if the deal with the United States slips. And in a more aggressive stance, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Turkey could turn to other countries, such as Russia, if the United States did not provide the F-16s.

Erdogan is optimistic that the US “will not take” Turkey down a “different path”, saying: “The US is not the only one selling fighter planes in the world. England, France and Russia also sell it.”

A grand final for the purchase of Turkish fighter jets

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated last week that negotiations with the United States were going well and added that it was possible he would speak by telephone with the American president later. Joe Biden about this issue.

This statement comes just two days after the Turkish president claimed to have heard “good” responses from two US senators he met in New York regarding their possible support for the sale of F-16s to Turkey.

Although the deal is mostly in the final stages of approval, the rivalry between Turkey and Greece has caused the US House of Representatives to tread with caution.

In July, US lawmakers passed a law banning sales to Ankara unless the Biden administration declares it necessary for US national security, including steps taken to ensure they are not used for illegal flights about Greece.

Turkey has made it clear that it strongly opposes limiting the sale of the F-16.. This is where the Eurofighter Typhoon comes into play.

Ankara seems impressed with the British-German-Italian-Spanish twin engines, hang glider, thrust vector, sensor fusion, avionics and super cruise capability.

Turkey wants to buy F-16s or Eurofighters as a temporary measure until Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) TF-X takes to the skies. Turkey is hoping to get its hands on a new Typhoon Tranche 3A or Tranche 4 model.

General Hasan Kucukakyuz, Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish Air Force, visited the UK, the main producer of the Eurofighter consortium, and met with Air Marshal Sir Mike Wingston. Kucukakyuz also checked the British Rapid Reaction Alert flying the Typhoon.

Furthermore, an op-ed published in the Turkish magazine Daily Sabah said earlier this year that the Typhoon’s ability to operate on Future Combat Air Systems (FCAS or Tempest) would also give Eurofighter and its partner companies time to develop platform-specific technologies. .

It also covers aspects such as the possibility of training in challenging multi-domain situations. Turkey’s TF-X program could benefit from this technology lesson.

Seyyid Akr, a defense enthusiast based in Istanbul, previously told the EurAsian Times that “the UK is a strategic partner in many areas with Turkey. Procurement of Typhoon fighter jets seems the most likely of the three options he proposed. I think that is also the option that the Turks support the most.”