Germany approves sale of 40 Eurofighter jets to Türkiye, reports Spiegel

The German government has paved the way for the delivery of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Türkiye following a positive decision by the Federal Security Council.

Türkiye had been in negotiations to purchase Eurofighter Typhoon jets, which are produced by a consortium consisting of Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain, represented by the companies Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo.

According to a report by Spiegel, the Federal Security Council approved Türkiye’s request, made in March 2023, during a confidential meeting.

The former three-party coalition government (the “traffic light” coalition) had not made a decision on the request concerning the delivery of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets by the British manufacturer BAE Systems.

It is also suggested that the “black-red” coalition government, led by CDU’s Friedrich Merz, has bowed to pressure from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer with this decision.

During his visit to the United Kingdom last Thursday, Merz stated that a final decision on a possible export permit had not yet been made, but that they were “moving towards a good decision that will also make a suitable export permit possible.”

Starmer also indicated that they wanted to coordinate joint export campaigns.

According to information from Spiegel, the new federal government’s decision was communicated to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the British government, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

As reported by Spiegel, Türkiye pledged during the review process that it would only use the aircraft within the scope of the NATO alliance, meaning not against another member of the alliance.

The planned permit was also discussed with Mitsotakis before being granted by the federal government. Greece, for its part, had purchased 24 Rafale fighter jets from France, with the final aircraft delivered in January.

The Federal Security Council includes Chancellor Merz, as well as Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius from the SPD, and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul from the CDU.

During the era of the traffic light government, Germany had approved large-scale arms exports to Türkiye in 2024 for the first time in years. Last October, during his visit to Türkiye, then-Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz had indicated he was open to the Eurofighter deal, but a decision could not be reached after the government subsequently collapsed.

In March 2025, Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested, but İmamoğlu had called on the new federal government to make an “independent decision” on the delivery of the fighter jets, writing that the aircraft were “urgently needed and long-awaited” by the Turkish Air Force.

In May, Merz had praised Türkiye’s role, stating it was an “extremely valuable and important NATO partner.”

On Monday, Erdoğan said that progress had been made in the purchase negotiations. The President emphasized that Germany and the United Kingdom viewed the matter positively.

According to reports in the British press, the exact number and specifications of the jets have not yet been finalized. If Türkiye finalizes the order for 40 jets, the value of the order will reach approximately 4.75 billion euros.

This would allow BAE Systems to fill the capacity of its factory in Warton, England. It is also noted that new orders could come from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

In the case of Saudi Arabia, the coalition government had cleared the way for the Eurofighter consortium to participate in a tender in the kingdom. In Türkiye’s case, the federal government’s decision could be a signal that Germany will align with the “more liberal” export policies of its partners in future multinational armament collaborations.