On Türkiye’s decision to purchase Eurofighter planes

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer made his first visit to Türkiye at the end of October. Türkiye and Britain signed an on cooperation regarding Eurofighter jets.
Türkiye purchased 20 Eurofighter jets for $10.7 billion.

UK Defense Secretary John Healey stated that the first delivery of the 20 jets to be supplied from Britain is expected in 2030. Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler announced that Türkiye will also purchase an additional 12 Eurofighter jets each from Qatar and Oman.

Why has Türkiye decided to make such a large-scale purchase? We asked retired Air Force Colonel İhsan Sefa about the military and political dimensions of this decision.

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Political motives behind the purchase

What kind of contribution does Türkiye expect the Eurofighter purchase to make to its Air Force?

There are definitely political motives behind this deal. I see it as part of a rapprochement between Türkiye, Germany, and the UK.

Let’s look at Türkiye’s current inventory. It already operates F-16s. Are those F-16s sufficient? To some extent, yes, but they’re beginning to fall behind. If we consider potential adversaries such as Greece and Israel, the aircraft those countries possess could indeed pose a threat to Turkish jets.

However, Türkiye has developed its own ballistic missile, Tayfun, which had a range of 565 kilometers when first tested. It’s extremely difficult to intercept such missiles. Greece, for instance, doesn’t have the special radar systems needed to do so, though Israel does. To defend against incoming attacks, Türkiye also has its Siper-2 air defense systems. In addition, Türkiye is renowned for its drones and UAVs. The jet-powered Hürjet aircraft have recently entered service as well.

When we talk about the Eurofighter, we must also mention Türkiye’s indigenous fighter project, KAAN, which is expected to begin production by 2028. I’m concerned, however, that its production might be delayed, because the $10.7 billion allocated for Eurofighter could potentially slow down funding for KAAN.

Not necessary and expensive

Without going too deep into technical details, let me just say this: with its current air force, Türkiye is already capable of establishing air superiority over potential regional rivals such as Israel and Greece.

Also, the Eurofighters won’t be delivered anytime soon. Europe is currently trying to ramp up its arms production, so the jets destined for Türkiye won’t roll off the production line before 2028. The first delivery will likely consist of just one or two aircraft, and the full batch probably won’t arrive until after 2030. That’s why Türkiye is also purchasing second-hand Eurofighters from Qatar and Oman.

Aside from this timing issue, Eurofighters are extremely expensive. Around $500 million apiece.

And now, let’s get to the most critical aspect of the issue: suppose Türkiye receives these jets. Against whom could it actually use them? Would they allow Ankara to deploy them against Greece or Israel? Of course not. The supplier could simply install a chip that restricts your ability to fly them, or delay the shipment of key spare parts. The countries that control the system always retain that leverage.

The same logic applies to the F-35. Some in Türkiye are desperately seeking to be readmitted to the F-35 program, but the truth is, you don’t hold the key to that aircraft, the system’s owner does. Besides, the F-35’s operational readiness rate is well below the NATO standard of 70 percent, and it’s notorious for frequent malfunctions.

For all these reasons, I personally oppose the Eurofighter purchase. That’s my personal stance. But of course, the government may have other considerations in mind.

“Gendarmerie” of Europe

You said there must be political motives behind the Eurofighter deal — that it’s a purchase aimed at fostering closer ties between Türkiye, Germany, and the UK. The EU’s official documents mention a goal of being “ready for war by 2030.” What kind of support or contribution is the EU expecting from Türkiye, and more specifically, from the Turkish Armed Forces?

They’re expecting all kinds of support. Because Europe doesn’t really have a proper army. In almost every NATO mission, it’s been the Turkish and US armies leading the way. In “peacekeeping operations,” the US has usually provided air support, while Turkish soldiers have done the real work on the ground.

During the Cold War, Türkiye was heavily armed under the pretext that “the Soviets might attack.” Back then, Türkiye allocated about 4.5% of its GDP to defense, purchasing large amounts of weaponry from the US and Europe. Meanwhile, except for the UK and France, most European countries were spending only around 1.5–2% of their GDP on defense. In short, Türkiye was shown a fabricated threat and turned into the “gendarmerie” of Europe, tasked with protecting the continent.

And now, the same thing is happening again. The role for Türkiye is once again being “gendarmerie”. Europe may have weapons, but it doesn’t have soldiers to fight. That’s why they need Türkiye. That’s why they’re offering Eurofighters to Türkiye.

They’re even creating the illusion that Türkiye might eventually join the EU. And some people in Türkiye, the ones burying their heads in the sand, actually believe it.

Threats to Türkiye and “regional alliances”

You mentioned that Europe needs to get closer to Türkiye, and it seems the Turkish government also wants this. On the other hand, as a NATO member Türkiye maintains unusually close ties with countries that NATO defines as “revisionist”, mainly Russia, Iran and China. Apart from the S-400 purchase from Russia, Türkiye still cooperates with NATO countries on defense and weapon systems. Could that change? Is there a chance Türkiye might move closer to these “revisionist” states in terms of defense and military cooperation?

Yes, and should. We need to ask ourselves: where do the real threats to Türkiye come from? Who is behind the activities targeting Türkiye’s territorial integrity? The answer is NATO and the US.

In the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean, who’s undermining Türkiye’s rights and interests? Again, NATO and the US. Who’s militarizing the Aegean islands that are supposed to remain demilitarized under the Lausanne Treaty? Greece. And who’s building bases there? The US. They still refuse to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an independent state, while Israel continues to build up its military presence in Southern Cyprus.

The upcoming US budget allocated 160 million dollars to the YPG terrorist group in Syria. And who’s the target of that? Obviously, Türkiye. The ultimate goal is to establish “Second Israel” under the name of “Kurdistan”.

The US and the West want governments in Türkiye that won’t step outside the lines they draw, governments that act according to their interests. Who was behind the treacherous coup attempt of July 15, 2016? Again, the US. That coup was essentially Washington’s way of saying, “If you don’t do as I say, I’ll take you down.”

In short, NATO and the US are hostile to Türkiye’s. Türkiye must leave NATO and build a regional alliance. Only such an alliance can allow Türkiye to effectively face the threats faced.

Just voicing the idea of leaving NATO would be enough to make the US think twice and behave more cautiously, turning many things to Türkiye’s advantage. Because losing Türkiye would mean the collapse of NATO as a whole.