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Türkiye Monday harshly criticized Germany for not approving Ankara’s request to acquire Eurofighter Typhoon jets that the country seeks to refresh its air force amid a prolonged process over the purchase of F-16 warplanes from the U.S.
Türkiye announced last month it was in talks with Britain and Spain to buy 40 Eurofighter jets, though Germany has objected to the idea.
The warplanes are produced by a consortium involving Germany, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.
“We are a NATO member, yet another member opposes us buying these aircraft, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said. “There cannot be an explanation for an ally saying, ‘I won’t give you the aircraft,'” Güler told an interview with private broadcaster NTV.
He said Eurofighter was a good alternative for Türkiye and expressed optimism that other allies could convince Germany to back down its objections.
Still, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Ankara’s interest in military jets was not limited to Eurofighter.
“We have already given our answer clearly. If they give us these planes, they give them. If not, do we lack doors to knock on? No, we have many,” Erdoğan said after his trip to Berlin last month.
Türkiye began discussing buying Eurofighters amid its longstanding request for F-16 jets from the U.S.
In October 2021, it requested to buy 40 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters and 79 modernization kits for its existing warplanes.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has repeatedly promised to move forward with the $20-billion sale. Still, there have been objections in the U.S. Congress over Türkiye’s delaying Sweden’s bid to join the NATO alliance.
Erdoğan last week signaled that the Turkish Parliament will only act on Sweden if the U.S. Congress approves Türkiye’s request.
“If you have your Congress, I have my Parliament. You say you will take steps on the F-16 issue after passing it through Congress. I also have a Parliament,” Erdoğan said. “If we are two NATO allies, do what you have to simultaneously, in solidarity and our Parliament will take the necessary decision.”
Meanwhile, Güler said Türkiye’s domestically-developed fifth-generation fighter jet, Kaan, would perform its maiden flight on Dec. 27.
Unveiled publicly earlier this year, Kaan is one of the most important projects in Türkiye’s history. The warplane made a runway debut and successfully completed its first taxi test after starting its engines for the first time in mid-March.
The platform makes Türkiye one of the few countries with the infrastructure and technology to produce a fifth-generation combat aircraft.
It is aimed at replacing the aging F-16 fleet in the inventory of the Air Forces Command, which is planned to be phased out starting in the 2030s. The project was launched in 2016.
Türkiye sought to purchase Lockheed Martin’s more advanced F-35 fighter jets, but the U.S. removed it from the multinational program to buy and help build the warplane in 2019 after it acquired S-400 air missile defense systems from Russia.
Türkiye has tested but never formally used the Russian-made systems. Yet, it has warned that it would use them if needed. It has also been developing a family of short-, medium- and long-range surface-to-air missile systems.
“If someone considers attacking us, they will see very well what the S-400 or other defense systems can do,” Güler said.
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