Turkey may buy Eurofighter Typhoon if F-16 deal with US fails: Reports

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Ankara may consider purchasing the fourth-generation Eurofighter Typhoon jet fighters if the deal on the acquisition of US-made F-16 falls through, Turkish newspaper Yeni Akit reported on Saturday.

In 2019, the US removed Turkey from the program for the supply of advanced F-35 fighter jets after Ankara purchased Russia’s S-400 air defense systems and canceled the joint memorandum on the F-35 procurement with Turkey, signing it with the seven remaining partners in the program, namely the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, Canada, and Norway.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan subsequently said the US invited Ankara to buy other fighter jets, but of the fourth generation, the F-16. The matter is still to be agreed upon in the US Congress, however, the US State Department is lobbying for it in a bid to convince congressmen that the deal is in Washington's interest.

According to the newspaper, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar visited Thursday Royal Air Force Coningsby station as part of his official trip to the UK to meet with his counterpart, Ben Wallace. At the airbase, Akar had the chance to examine the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft.

Yeni Akit pointed out that this instance reinforced an earlier statement made by Turkish Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin, who said that the Eurofighter Typhoon may become an alternative to the F-16.

The newspaper mentioned that Ankara and Washington are still in talks over the F-16 supplies, adding that Akar’s inspection could be a sign that Turkey has not run out of alternatives while the US protracts the deal and attempts to condition it.

It is noteworthy that in late September, Turkish Defense Industry Agency President Ismail Demir told CNN Turk, upon being asked about Turkey's alternatives in case the F-16 deal with the US falls through, that "one of the variants could be the Su-35."

The US House of Representatives passed an amendment in July to the National Defense Authorization Act impeding the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, by requiring assurances on behalf of the US President that the aircraft will not be tools for unauthorized territorial overflights in Greece, as per US claims.