Why Türkiye Is Buying Eurofighter Typhoons Jets Instead of American F-35s
Video from the channel Defence Upcast about Eurofighter Typhoon, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 10:44. Language: English. Video type: News.
What is announced
An analysis of Turkey's purchase of the Eurofighter Typhoon. Ankara announced the acquisition of 44 aircraft: 24 second-hand jets from Qatar and Oman, which would receive NATO-compatible communications and data links, plus 20 new-build aircraft manufactured in the United Kingdom. According to the video, the figure could rise to 56 with a further 12 from Oman, and some Turkish analysts are calling for up to 80, enough for four squadrons by the late 2030s.
Context
The Turkish Air Force operates around 240 F-16s and about twenty F-4 Phantoms, an aircraft that first flew in 1958. The Typhoons would allow the Phantoms to be retired while maintaining coverage as TAI upgrades the F-16s under the Özgür programme and develops the Hürjet trainer and the Kaan fifth-generation stealth fighter. Turkey was due to receive 100 F-35s, but the purchase of the Russian S-400 system led to its expulsion from the programme in 2019 and 2020 and to sanctions under the CAATSA law, which remain in force.
What it implies
The video also frames the purchase as a political gesture: the cooperation agreement signed in Ankara in October 2025 by Erdoğan and Keir Starmer, mistrust of Washington, the deterioration of relations with Israel, and a shift towards European defence ties. It also notes Turkey's push for combat drones such as Baykar's Kızılelma and TAI's Anka 3 as a complement to the manned fleet.