Türkiye seeks to buy Eurofighter jets from Qatar in UK-mediated talks

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is reportedly visiting Qatar on Wednesday to pursue the purchase of billions of dollars worth of Eurofighter Typhoon jets.

According to a report in Bloomberg, Erdoğan is seeking to purchase 24 used and 16 new Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Qatar.

The United Kingdom, a member of the Eurofighter consortium, has allegedly facilitated talks regarding the transfer of Tranche 3A jets from Qatar to its close military ally, Türkiye.

According to sources close to the matter, Ankara has requested to purchase 16 new Tranche 4 jets as part of a multi-billion dollar deal. The value of the agreement is estimated to be several billion dollars.

The deal has not yet been finalized, and negotiations on technical arrangements are ongoing.

Türkiye has long been the second-largest operator of F-16 fighter jets after the US. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has not used any other foreign-made models but is reportedly trying to do so to deepen military ties with NATO members and other allies in Europe.

According to Bloomberg, purchasing used fighter jets will allow the Turkish military to acquire the weapons more quickly, as new US F-16s will not be delivered until 2030.

In July, Ankara signed a preliminary agreement concerning a multi-billion dollar deal for 40 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.

Airbus, which is facilitating the sales, is a member of the consortium that also includes the UK’s BAE Systems and Italy’s Leonardo.

Details of the talks have not been made public, but Bloomberg previously reported that Türkiye could spend approximately 10 billion euros ($11.6 billion) on new and used fighter jets, along with Meteor air-to-air missiles developed by MBDA, a joint venture of BAE Systems, Airbus, and Leonardo.

Erdoğan’s visit to Qatar is part of a regional tour that also includes Kuwait and Oman.