Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Photo credit: Muhammed Selim Korkutata / AFP / Profimedia
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who wants to modernize the country's air fleet, plans to take advantage of a visit to Qatar on Wednesday to discuss a possible purchase of second-hand Eurofighter fighter jets from the Qatari military, a Turkish security source told AFP.
The Turkish head of state, expected to arrive in Doha on Tuesday evening, is to be received by the Emir of Qatar on Wednesday.
“Turkey wants to buy second-hand Eurofighter planes from Qatar,” said the source quoted by AFP, on condition of anonymity, not being authorized to make statements to the media on the subject.
“In return, Turkey has proposed access to its next-generation fighter jet – Kaan (under development, no), as part of a possible technology transfer agreement,” added the same Turkish official.
Negotiations between Ankara and Doha, which in 2017 ordered a number of 24 Eurofighter fighter jets, are “in progress”, he said.
Excluded from the US F-35 program due to a dispute over the purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, Turkey is also looking to purchase 40 new Eurofighter jets.
But their delivery requires the acceptance of four European countries (Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain) associated for the construction of the Eurofighter, each of them being able to veto the sale.
In reality, according to some defense observers, Turkey's stated desire to purchase Eurofighter jets is aimed at putting pressure on Washington to be reintegrated into the F-35 program.
For Turkey, a NATO member country, “the F-16 and F-35 programs remain the absolute priority,” the Turkish security source emphasized in comments for AFP.
