Türkiye is actively working on technical preparations to expedite its planned acquisition of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, a Defense Ministry official said Thursday.
Ankara said last year it was in talks with Eurofighter consortium members Britain and Spain to buy Typhoons, though Germany opposed the idea.
Since then, it has complained of a lack of progress on the issue over Berlin’s reluctance.
Recent reports have suggested Germany is reconsidering Türkiye’s request amid concerns over heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Last month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Erdoğan is set to meet Scholz on Saturday in Istanbul and the warplanes are expected to be discussed.
“Technical level works for the procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon jets are under way. The works are aimed at accelerating the process. No conditions have been raised regarding these works,” the defense ministry official told reporters.
Türkiye’s interest in Eurofighters came after a prolonged process over its request to buy F-16 warplanes from the U.S. The deal for 40 F-16 jets and 79 modernization kits for its existing F-16s was approved earlier this year after Türkiye endorsed Sweden’s bid to join NATO.
The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by companies Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.
Ankara is also developing its own national combat aircraft, Kaan.
