Will Turkey be sold decommissioned fighter jets?

The pressure from the US and Europe that began after Turkey's purchase of the S-400 from Russia continues. The US, which removed Turkey from the next-generation F-35 fighter jet program, approved the sale of F-16s years later. Germany, which was expected to sell its own aircraft, used a "secret veto" during this process against the 40 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets that Turkey requested as an alternative.

Following the US approval of the F-16 sale, Germany gave the green light to Turkey's Eurofighter purchase, but things are not going quite as desired.

SPARE PART AIRCRAFT...

Currently, a consortium led by the UK is trying to resolve the issue of selling Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Turkey in two packages of 20 each. During his visit to Istanbul on October 19, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had given the green light on this matter and touched upon the importance of Turkey for NATO's southern flank.

However, the leaked information is not very encouraging. There is no activity at the Eurofighter production facilities in Germany. When the first obstacle to the sale of Eurofighters arose, a glimmer of hope had emerged for the factory that was on the agenda to be closed in Germany, and workers had held protests for new production. Now, everyone is silent.

The German defense publication Flug Revue also wrote that "it is on the agenda to provide Turkey with used, first-model Trance 1 Eurofighters." The magazine confirmed that the UK Ministry of Defence has made progress regarding the potential export of Eurofighters to Turkey.

Flug Revue wrote that the aircraft to be sold to Turkey are "Trance 1s, which are the first generation in the UK's possession and are kept as spare parts for newer models."

Trance 1s remain like old Soviet aircraft compared to the next-generation Trance 4 or 5 models.

THEY WILL BUY THEIR OWN NEW ONES, WE GET THE OLD ONES

The Eurofighter Trance 1 / FGR 4 fleet in the UK is being prepared to be used to contribute to the spare parts inventory of the active RAF Typhoon fleet, and 26 Typhoon Trance 1 aircraft are expected to be retired from service as of March 31, 2025.

These aircraft are considered insufficient for air-to-ground interventions and were not even given to Ukraine on the grounds that they would be useless in the war and are too complex. Furthermore, the aircraft are incompatible with the Meteor BVR missiles used by NATO. AIM-120C8/D missiles can be used on these aircraft, and these are only sold with the approval of the US.

News Source: 12punto