Following lengthy negotiations, an agreement for Turkey to procure 20 Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 4 fighter jets from the UK was signed in Ankara on Oct. 27.
Turkey will increase the number of aircraft in its Eurofighter fleet to 44 by procuring 12 second-hand Typhoons each from Qatar and Oman. The $10.7 billion (£8 billion) payment to the U.K. under the agreement has become a subject of debate in Turkish domestic politics, as the details of the package were not announced.
According to open sources, the unit cost of Eurofighter aircraft is approximately $120 million. It has not been disclosed whether the $10.7 billion agreement signed between Turkey and the U.K. includes payments to Qatar and Oman, nor what services and weapons systems will be provided to Turkey along with the aircraft. For this reason, opposition parties have begun to question whether $10.7 billion is just for 20 fighters and why the cost is so high.
Typhoons are the third most expensive fighter aircraft after the F-22 and Rafale. If Turkey had remained in the F-35 project, it would have procured the jets for less than $100 million per unit and would have received half of the amount paid in return as a share of production for the Turkish defense industry.
METEOR MISSILES INCLUDED
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the signed agreement would bring £8 billion ($10.7 billion) worth of work and, in that sense, meant to secure 20,000 British jobs across the country. “A really good day for the U.K.” he said.
He ignored the British links in the espionage allegations against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and also did not meet CHP Chair Özgür Özel, even though the Labour Party and the CHP are described as sister parties.
While the exact breakdown of the cost remains unclear, BAE Systems, the manufacturer of Typhoon fighter jets, announced that its share of the project is £5.4 billion. Defense industry sources told Turkey in Depth that Turkey's requests for training, maintenance, and ammunition for the aircraft are also included in the agreement. The cost of an undisclosed number of Meteor missiles, produced by MBDA, is also included.
Oman received its Tranche 3A aircraft between 2017 and 2019, and therefore, these aircraft require modernization. The modification of the 12 aircraft to be acquired from Oman so they can carry Meteor missiles will also be carried out in the UK.
The oldest of Qatar's Typhoon Tranche 3A aircraft is three years old and therefore does not require modernization. Turkey wants to take delivery of 12 second-hand fighter jets from Qatar before the end of 2025. The UK will begin delivery of 20 brand new Typhoons in 2030.
WHY DOES TURKEY NEED FIGHTERS?
As the Turkish Air Force's F-4 Phantoms begin to reach the end of their service life and its F-16s are also aging, it will need to acquire approximately 200 new fighter jets by 2035. In addition to this, while regional countries, particularly Israel and Greece, possess 4.5th and 5th generation aircraft, Turkey's current fleet is equipped with 3rd and 4th generation technology. Therefore, Ankara wants to have both 4.5th generation Typhoon and 5th generation F-35s, and continue talks with Washington to lift CAATSA sanctions which will pave the way to return the F-35 project and procure 40 F-16 Block 70 Viper fighter jets.
On the other hand, the serial production of the Kaan fighter jets developed in Turkey is targeted to begin in 2028. The first 40 aircraft in the Kaan project will be equipped with 4.5G technology, and the transition to 5G technology is planned for the later blocks.
HISTORY OF THE PROJECT
In the early 2000s, while evaluating future fighter jet projects, Turkey considered the Eurofighter option alongside the F-35. However, Ankara decided in 2002 to join the JSF consortium producing the F-35 and ended negotiations with Eurofighter.
When the U.S. removed Turkey from the F-35 project in 2019 for purchasing the S-400 air defense system from Russia, Ankara was forced to reconsider the Eurofighter option. If Turkey had not terminated the negotiations it had previously initiated, it would have begun receiving the Typhoons in 2010 and would also have become a program partner.
