Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Germany and the United Kingdom have exhibited a positive stance on the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey, adding that his country wants to finalize the purchase as soon as possible.
“The British and Germans are approaching this positively. God willing, I believe we will receive our jet aircraft as soon as possible,” Erdoğan told reporters aboard a flight returning from northern Cyprus, according to remarks published Monday by the state-run Anadolu news agency and Reuters.
Erdoğan added that he had discussed the matter directly with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “I saw they also approached the issue positively, and hopefully we will take this step,” he said.
According to a report in the German Handelsblatt daily last month, Germany’s new government led by Merz is no longer standing in the way of the planned sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey.
The new German government’s approach represents a departure from the position of the previous coalition government, which comprised the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Alliance 90/The Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). That coalition had opposed the Eurofighter sale to Turkey, citing political concerns.
Turkey submitted its request for some 40 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft earlier this year. The fighter jet is jointly developed by Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. For any sale to proceed, all four partner countries must approve the export.
Turkey has traditionally relied on American military aircraft. Its current fleet includes the F-16 fighter jet, but its plans to acquire the more advanced F-35 fifth generation fighter jets were blocked by the United States. This followed Turkey’s decision to purchase the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, a move that triggered concerns within NATO.
European governments now view the Eurofighter deal as a way to re-establish defense industry cooperation with Turkey. A senior defense official told Handelsblatt that the sale could help re-integrate Turkey into European defense supply chains.
The possibility of the potential sale of the Eurofighter jets to Turkey comes as the US also seeks to resolve the dispute with Turkey over its removal from the F-35 joint strike fighter program. US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said Washington hopes to resolve the issue by year-end, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
Turkish defense industry attracts global interest
Erdoğan also talked about growing international demand for Turkish defense products, noting that Turkey’s domestic arms manufacturers are struggling to keep up with foreign orders.
“We can barely meet the demand,” he said. “There is strong interest from many countries, including Pakistan.” He pointed to the export boom as evidence of Turkey’s rising profile in the global defense sector.
A report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in March showed that Turkey’s arms exports increased by 106 percent over the past four years, making it the 11th top exporter of arms worldwide.
The Turkish government says it is working to reduce Turkey’s dependence on foreign countries for arms and military equipment by investing more in the national defense industry, which has boomed in past years. Turkey is now one of the world’s main exporters of armed drones.
Talks with Spain on next-generation aircraft carrier
In a separate development, Erdoğan revealed that Turkey is in talks with Spain to co-develop a more advanced aircraft carrier, building on the recent launch of Turkey’s first amphibious assault ship, the TCG Anadolu.
“We built the TCG Anadolu, and now we’re negotiating with Spain for a more advanced version,” Erdoğan said. “They told us, ‘We are absolutely in,’ and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez supports the project as well. We plan to complete the new carrier within two to three years.”
The TCG Anadolu is Turkey’s first amphibious assault ship and the largest warship ever built for the Turkish Navy. Commissioned in April 2023, the ship is a key component of Turkey’s growing ambition to project power regionally and expand its defense industry’s capabilities.
Modeled after Spain’s Juan Carlos I-class aircraft carrier, the TCG Anadolu was co-developed with Spanish shipbuilder Navantia and constructed by the Sedef Shipyard in İstanbul.