Ankara is moving closer to receiving its first Eurofighter Typhoon jets after senior defense officials from Türkiye, Qatar and the United Kingdom held trilateral talks in Doha, a statement said on Wednesday.
Air Force Commander Gen. Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu participated in talks with his counterparts from Qatar and the U.K. focused on the Eurofighter procurement process, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.
The meeting came after Türkiye in late October signed an agreement worth around 8 billion pounds ($10.7 billion) covering the purchase of 20 Eurofighter Typhoons from the United Kingdom.
Ankara also plans to acquire 12 secondhand Typhoons from Qatar and 12 from Oman.
Delivery of the first aircraft is expected by the end of February, private broadcaster NTV reported on Wednesday. It also said training for Turkish pilots has already begun.
Defense Minister Yaşar Güler previously said that the first warplanes from Qatar could arrive in early 2026.
The first aircraft from the U.K. batch is expected to be delivered in 2030, while the agreement includes an option for Türkiye to purchase additional jets.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is produced by a four-nation consortium involving the U.K., Germany, Italy and Spain, represented by defense firms BAE Systems, Airbus and Leonardo.
Türkiye's interest in the Typhoon was first reported in 2022, as Ankara grew frustrated with prolonged negotiations over the acquisition of F-16 fighter jets from the United States.
In late 2024, Türkiye finalized a $7 billion deal with Washington for 40 F-16s. But talks have reportedly been dogged by Turkish concerns over pricing and its renewed interest in returning to the F-35 program.
Türkiye was excluded from the U.S.-led F-35 program in 2019 following its purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense system. Since then, Ankara has repeatedly described the decision as unfair and has expressed hope that the issue could be resolved during U.S. President Donald Trump's second term.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan raised the issue during the September meeting with Trump at the White House. Last month, Trump said the U.S. was "very seriously" considering the sale of F-35s to Türkiye.
Despite fielding NATO's second-largest military, Türkiye has faced repeated arms embargoes by its allies in past decades, prompting it to accelerate efforts to reduce foreign dependence and expand domestic defense production.
Today, the country manufactures a wide range of military platforms, including drones, missiles and naval vessels, and is developing its own fifth-generation fighter jet.
The indigenous stealth aircraft, known as Kaan, is intended to eventually replace the air force's aging F-16 fleet, which is expected to begin phasing out in the 2030s.
