By Cristina Gallardo
Germany approved the sale of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey, a Turkish official said, after months of intense negotiations.
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said Germany agreed to the sale following input from NATO allies. Turkey previously said Germany was dragging its feet due to concerns over Turkey's military policies.
Germany is one of four European countries involved in the Eurofighter consortium--alongside Italy, Spain and the U.K.--and home to its headquarters. That means exporting its Typhoon jets to Turkey required the approval of the German government.
The move is positive news for BAE Systems, Airbus, Leonardo and Spain's Indra--the four European defense companies behind the production of the jets.
"We will acquire 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets. Germany had been reluctant for a long time, but with the constructive contributions of our NATO allies Italy, the U.K., and Spain, they finally gave a positive response," Guler told Turkish news outlet TV100 Wednesday.
Turkey's decision to procure the jets is in line with a strategy to diversify its defense suppliers after failing to purchase cutting-edge F-35 jets from the U.S.
In addition to the Typhoons, Turkey hopes to receive F-16 Viper jets from the U.S. and has already signed contracts to buy 40 of them, Guler said. This means the Turkish Air Force will receive a total of 80 modern fighter jets.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed the transaction with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a visit to Istanbul last month. Scholz then said in a press conference that the U.K. government was taking forward the talks, signaling progress. The German government didn't respond to a request for comment when approached by Dow Jones Newswires.
A spokesperson for the U.K. Ministry of Defence said Thursday that the government continues to discuss the potential export of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey, in close collaboration with Germany, Italy and Spain.
Guler's announcement came hours before meeting British Defense Secretary John Healey, who is on a visit to Ankara and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.
In January, Germany also dropped its block to the sale of Eurofighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
Write to Cristina Gallardo at cristina.gallardo@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 14, 2024 08:02 ET (13:02 GMT)
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