Turkey officially secured a deal with the United Kingdom (UK) for 20 new Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 5 fighter jets, an agreement signed by President Erdoğan and PM Starmer valued at 8 billion pounds (approximately 9.1–9.2 billion euros or $10.7 billion). This procurement is significant as it is Turkey’s first purchase of a non-US fighter jet in 75 years.
The Eurofighter, a 4.5 generation multi-role aircraft, will be supplied with a comprehensive weapons package including MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles and Brimstone ground attack missiles. Turkey aims to use these jets as replacement for their aging F-16s and F-4s. The acquisition also acts as a bridge solution until its domestic, 5th generation stealth fighter TAI TF Kaan is operational.
The deal required unanimous approval from the Eurofighter consortium, comprising the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain.
German approval, previously a roadblock, was granted following a change in government, signalled by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s planned visit to Ankara. The previous German government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz had placed a veto on the deal.
Turkey also intends to acquire an additional 24 lightly used Eurofighters from Qatar and Oman, which could be delivered much sooner, possibly in early 2026.
While Turkish media celebrated the deal, claiming it upsets the regional balance of power, Evangelos Georgousis, a retired Vice Air Marshal and Honorary Commander of the Air Force Training Command, concludes that the balance remains in Greece’s favour.
The new Eurofighters Typhoons are not expected to be delivered to Turkey until 2030. By contrast, Greece will have already introduced its first 5th-generation F-35s (expected 2028) and completed upgrades to its F-16 Viper fleet, maintaining its technological superiority over the Aegean.
Furthermore, the Eurofighter poses an economic challenge for Turkey. It has a high cost of acquisition and an operational cost estimated at €60,000 (about $69,400) per flying hour, which is much higher than the operational cost of an F-16 Viper that tops €27,000 (about $31,223).
