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Turkish-British negotiations over the procurement of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft are nearing final stages, with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's planned visit to Ankara next week expected to produce final agreements, according to Turkish media outlets NTV and Aksam.
The Eurofighter procurement, which has spanned years of diplomatic negotiations, is set to be completed as part of a multifaceted agreement that includes newly manufactured aircraft alongside transfers from Qatar and Oman's inventories, Turkish media reported.
Prime Minister Starmer will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to discuss several bilateral and regional matters, with Eurofighter procurement identified as a key agenda item, NTV reported Sunday.
Following discussions between Starmer and Erdogan, the long-running process for Türkiye's acquisition of 40 Eurofighter combat aircraft is expected to conclude with the signing of final agreements, according to Turkish media reports.
The agreement framework encompasses multiple acquisition tracks: newly manufactured Eurofighter jets currently in production for the Royal Air Force (RAF), aircraft from Qatar's air force inventory, and aircraft from Oman's air force inventory, the Turkish media outlets reported.
According to NTV, the newly manufactured aircraft, currently in production lines for the Royal Air Force, will be transferred to Türkiye in accordance with production schedules, with aircraft departing the factory bound for Turkish operations.
Under the agreement framework, Türkiye will acquire previously owned Eurofighter aircraft from both the Qatar and Oman air forces, Turkish media reported.
According to Aksam's reporting, initial deliveries will comprise aircraft from Qatar's inventory. The first Eurofighter combat aircraft to enter Türkiye's inventory are expected to come from Qatar's air force, the outlet reported.
Aircraft to be transferred from Oman will undergo modernization by the aircraft's manufacturer before transfer to Türkiye, according to NTV's account.
According to Aksam's reporting, based on Turkish officials' discussions, the current phase of negotiations has narrowed the acquisition targets to 24 aircraft from Qatar and 10 from Oman, with deliveries expected "within weeks."
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President Erdogan played a decisive role in unlocking the procurement pathway during his recent Gulf tour, according to Aksam's reporting.
During meetings with Qatar's Emir and Oman's Sultan on his Gulf tour, Erdogan personally raised the issue of transferring Eurofighters and brought the negotiations to a conclusion, Aksam reported.
The diplomatic breakthrough required several preliminary steps, according to Aksam's account. Turkish officials first examined the legal parameters with manufacturing countries—the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain—regarding the second-country transfer of Eurofighter aircraft.
Once legal obstacles and potential blockades were eliminated, Turkish officials then engaged Qatar and Oman, Aksam reported.
Upon confirming that both nations possessed Eurofighter aircraft in their inventories available for second-country sale, President Erdogan made the decisive diplomatic move, according to the media outlet.
"With Qatar and Oman, we conducted negotiations. The process will be carried out by my defense minister and foreign minister. With the acquisition of these aircraft, our Air Force will become much stronger," Erdogan said after his Gulf tour.
The procurement process is now operating through formal channels of the Foreign Ministry and National Defense Ministry, according to Aksam's reporting.
Turkish media outlets reported that deliveries are expected within weeks.
NTV stated that pilot training and integration processes will commence following the signing of final agreements.
Turkish pilot training and integration will proceed after agreements are formalized. Following completion of training and integration processes, Türkiye's initial Eurofighter combat squadron is expected to achieve operational status, according to the outlet.
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