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The United Kingdom has officially submitted its offer to sell 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Türkiye, following a prior memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries. The proposal, coming from the four-nation Eurofighter consortium, will now proceed to the pricing and negotiation stages.
Meanwhile, Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defense has confirmed that it received a formal request from the Syrian government for military assistance, marking a major shift in Ankara-Damascus relations after over a decade of conflict and diplomatic freeze.
According to Turkish journalist Hande Firat, the assistance Türkiye is preparing will focus on advisory and training missions, without establishing an independent Turkish military base in Damascus or elsewhere.
The Syrian government’s defense capacity will first be assessed, and Türkiye is expected to supply both expertise and equipment. A large Syrian delegation reportedly attended the recent IDEF defense expo in Türkiye, expressing high interest in domestic defense products.
A second diplomatic dimension is also in progress. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is leading an initiative to create a regional consortium involving Syria’s neighbors to combat the Daesh terrorist organization.
A joint operations center is being discussed. The United States has been informed that this consortium will lead anti-Daesh operations moving forward. Preparations for this structure are expected to accelerate.
Türkiye is currently pursuing the acquisition of 40 Eurofighters, 40 F-16s from the United States, and still maintains interest in 40 F-35s despite its removal from the F-35 program in 2019 due to its purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems.
Although blocked from the F-35 project, Türkiye has not withdrawn its demand. Officials stress that the F-35 remains important for NATO standardization and that Türkiye has contributed nearly 1,000 parts to its production. That industrial knowledge has also helped accelerate the development of Türkiye’s national fighter jet, KAAN.
The Eurofighter deal has sparked criticism in Israel. Opposition leader Yair Lapid warned that Israel should have blocked the sale.
“Türkiye already commands the largest and most powerful navy in the Middle East. Now it aims to achieve parity with Israel in air power. This is a dangerous development,” Lapid said.
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