Turkey In Talks To Purchase Typhoon Fighter Jets, Other Weapons From The UK

Turkey has held talks with the United Kingdom over the possible purchase of fighter jets, transport planes, frigates and tank engines, the Middle East Eye (MEE) reported on January 20.

Three separate sources told the London-based news outlet that Turkish defence minister Hulusi Akar discussed the possibility of purchasing Eurofighter jets, C-130J transport planes, Type 23 frigates and engines for outdated American-made M60 battle tanks during a meeting with his British counterpart, Ben Wallace, in London on January 15.

“We are evaluating our options on these platforms but we aren’t in the final stages of negotiations,” said one of the Turkish sources.

One industry insider told MEE that Turkey was looking to purchase two squadrons of Eurofighter jets, amounting to between 24 to 48 units.

A second source said that Ankara’s Eurofighter acquisition wouldn’t be an easy process, since it would require a lot of technical adjustments and training. However, he noted that the Turkish military was becoming increasingly familiar with the fighter jet, since Qatar have sent some of its own Typhoons to Turkey under a bilateral deal that allows Doha to deploy its air force in the country.

The purchase of Typhoon fighter jets would help maintain the capabilities of the Turkish Air Force. Most of Ankara’s American-made F-16s are reaching the end of their lifespan.

Turkey was looking to purchase 40 new F-16 aircraft and 79 upgrade kits for its existing F-16 fleet. However, the United States Congress is showing strong opposition. US officials have reportedly told their Turkish counterparts that dropping the conditions set for Sweden to become a NATO member will help remove opposition to the deal in Congress.

Akar and Wallace also discussed the possible procurement of C-130J military transport planes. The UK’s Defence Equipment Sales Authority placed 14 C-130Js on sale in October. The first source told MEE that C-130J would be a good addition to the Turkish military, who has been putting pressure on its existing fleet of transport planes to support the deployment in Libya.

“We already have C-130s in our inventory, it is an aircraft we already know well,” the Turkish source said. “We have necessary know-how to maintain and modernize them.”

Ankara is also negotiating to buy at least three Type 23 frigates, which were slated for sale by the UK’s defence ministry for 2023. The frigates are equipped to hunt down submarines and are armed with advanced anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles.

In Addition, Akara and Wallace discussed ways to find a British supplier to modernize Turkey’s large fleet of M60 battle tanks.

Commenting on the talks, a UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson told the MEE: “The Defence Secretary met with his Turkish counterpart to discuss strengthening defence ties between the two countries. They spoke on a range of topics including procurement, with progress made in a number of areas.”

The Turkish talks with the UK will without a doubt put some pressure on the U.S., who has been restricting Ankara’s access to American weapons over its crisis with Greece, intervention in Syria and the S-400 air defence system deal with Russia. However, it is still unclear whether Ankara would be able to make a final decision on these potential purchases before the general elections in June.

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