Turkey is accelerating efforts to bolster its fighter fleet, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pursuing a deal to obtain up to 24 used Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Qatar. The acquisition complements Ankara’s talks for a separate package of new Tranche 4 Typhoons and Meteor missile systems. With the UK brokering the Qatar transfer and Germany now lifting its long-standing export veto, the initiative signals a turning point in Turkey’s access to European fighter technology.
The proposed aircraft are Tranche 3A models, the same generation now serving in Qatari and Omani fleets. Airbus officials have confirmed that Berlin will not block the export process, making the secondhand route via Doha or potentially Muscat the most practical path to early deliveries. This development gives Ankara an opportunity to field Eurofighters years ahead of its expected F-16 Block 70 arrivals, which remain scheduled toward the end of the 2020s.
Qatar’s Typhoons, delivered between 2022 and 2023, are among the most advanced in the region, equipped with the Praetorian defensive suite and PIRATE infrared search and track sensors. Oman’s 12 Tranche 3 aircraft, inducted by 2019, are also seen as potential contributors should re-export approvals be secured from all Eurofighter consortium members. For Turkey, combining immediate combat readiness with access to modern European weapon systems makes the Gulf deal a strategically significant step toward reshaping its air combat capabilities.
