Türkiye’s interest in Eurofighter jets blocked by Germany
A Eurofighter EF-2000 fighter aircraft of the Spanish Air Force flies during the Ocean Sky 2023 Military Exercise for advanced air-to-air training in the southern airspace of the Canary Islands, Spain, October 25, 2023. (Reuters)
Eurofighter CEO Giancarlo Mezzanatto claimed that Türkiye is interested in Eurofighter jets, but Germany blocked the sale.
The company’s CEO that manufactures Eurofighter aircraft, Giancarlo Mezzanatto, made significant statements at the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) held in England.
Mezzanatto stated that they set a target of ‘150-200 aircraft sales’ in June 2023 and that they still stand by this target. He mentioned that they have received 69 orders so far but expressed confidence in reaching the target number, making an important claim.
According to Euronews, the multinational consortium, including the UK, Germany, Spain, and Italy, most recently sold 25 aircraft to Madrid, 20 to Berlin, and 24 to Rome in September 2023. Since then, one of the potential buyers has been Türkiye, which was removed from the F-35 program. Mezzanatto claimed that Ankara wanted to purchase between 40 and 50 aircraft, but these efforts were blocked by Germany.
The Italian CEO suggested that this blockade might be due to Türkiye’s drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of its natural gas exploration efforts.
The Eurofighter, which made its first flight on March 27, 1994, is used by Austria, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, in addition to the consortium members that produce it.
