President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is advancing plans to acquire up to 24 secondhand Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Qatar as Türkiye also pursues new-build aircraft and Meteor missiles from the consortium. The transfer, brokered by the UK, involves Tranche 3A aircraft, while talks continue for an additional 16 new Tranche 4 jets. Following years of German resistance, Berlin has now signaled it will not block exports, paving the way for the Gulf transfer—considered the fastest route to place Typhoons on Turkish airbases.
Qatar’s Typhoons are among the newest in global service, delivered from 2022 and configured to advanced Tranche 3A standards, complete with the Praetorian electronic warfare suite and PIRATE infrared search and track. Oman’s 12 Tranche 3 aircraft, accepted by 2019, are also potential candidates if all partner nations approve re-export. For Ankara, rapid access to these jets is crucial as production slots tighten and F-16 Block 70 deliveries are unlikely before the decade’s end.
