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| The Grand Turk |
| Turkish pilots now training on Eurofighter Typhoon |
| 2026-09-20 |
| [NationalInterest] Turkey is moving quickly to adopt the fighter jet to close a capability gap with Greece. NATO member Turkey (Türkiye) is closer to formally adopting the Eurofighter Typhoon, and Turkish aviators have begun flight training on the multirole combat aircraft. “Within the scope of the Eurofighter Typhoon procurement signed with the United Kingdom Government, our Air Force Command pilots who began the training process in August have completed their terminology training and commenced flight training,” Turkish Defense Minister T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı wrote in a post on X. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is now providing flight instruction to the first three of 10 flight instructors, and plans call for approximately 100 maintenance instructors to begin training on the aircraft in the coming weeks. For decades, Turkey relied heavily on American-made platforms, notably the F-16 Fighting Falcon. While Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom developed the Eurofighter Typhoon at the end of the Cold War, Turkey became a core partner in the US-led development of the F-35 Lightning II. Turkey expected to be fielding a fifth-generation fighter by now, so it saw no urgent need to invest in what was seen as a costly 4.5-generation European fighter. Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program in 2019 for its adoption of the Russian made S-400 Triumf air defense system. After Washington further showed reluctance to sell upgrades for the F-16s, and Turkey faced delays with its domestically built TAI Kaan fifth-gen aircraft, it sought the Typhoon as a stopgap. Turkey’s interest in the Typhoon was also largely driven by its regional rival Greece adopting the French-made Dassault Rafale and securing a deal to obtain the F-35. Turkish defense officials have openly acknowledged that the Eurofighter bid was a direct move to close the capability gap and prevent Greece from maintaining air superiority over the Aegean, even as both nations are NATO members. The four nations that built the Eurofighter Typhoon each had veto power over export sales. German officials raised concerns over Turkey’s cross-border military operations in Syria, its domestic political crackdowns, and tensions regarding energy drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean. In July 2025, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reversed the previous government’s opposition, which opened the way for Turkey to obtain the aircraft. More at the link Related: Eurofighter Typhoon 07/01/2026 The Global Chair: How Erdogan is Trying to Become a Mediator Between Everyone Eurofighter Typhoon 03/29/2026 Türkiye to field Tranche 4+ Eurofighters with ECRS Mk 0 AESA radar Eurofighter Typhoon 12/21/2025 Turkey said hoping to return Russian air defense systems to clear way for F-35 sale |
| Posted by:badanov |