【By Observer Net, Chen Sijia】According to a report by the U.S. "Wall Street Journal" on July 21, several sources said that Turkey may announce a preliminary procurement agreement for the Typhoon fighter jets worth billions of dollars this week. Turkey had previously hoped to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the United States, but was excluded from the F-35 cooperation program due to its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.

Sources said that negotiations between Turkey and the UK have entered the final stage and may announce the principle agreement of the contract at the Istanbul International Defense Industry Exhibition held this week. The contract may purchase up to 40 Typhoon fighter jets, but the exact number and configuration of the aircraft are still under discussion. Analysts estimate the contract value may reach $5.6 billion.

The Typhoon fighter jet is a fighter jet jointly developed by four countries: the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain, designed and manufactured by the European Aircraft Company, a joint venture established by BAE Systems, Airbus, and Leonardo.

Typhoon Fighter Jet European Aircraft Company Website

The report said that Turkey has been seeking to purchase the Typhoon since 2023, but Germany has concerns about some of Turkey's foreign policies and has not approved export licenses, causing the negotiations to be blocked.

However, sources said that the new German government has changed its attitude and is willing to push forward this deal. German Chancellor Merkel announced at a press conference in London last week that the negotiation team is about to make a decision, possibly giving the green light for the export license. Sources also revealed that the UK Ministry of Defence aims to sign an agreement with Turkey this year regarding the inspection and testing plan.

The "Wall Street Journal" said that regarding the relevant reports, a spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defence stated that the UK is leading the work of exporting the Typhoon fighter jets to other countries. The Turkish Ministry of Defence and the spokesperson for the Typhoon fighter jet project did not respond.

According to the sources, the contract with Turkey may speed up the negotiations between the European Aircraft Company and countries such as Qatar and Austria. If Turkey places an order, the European Aircraft Company must increase the annual production of the Typhoon fighter jet to 30 units. Currently, the annual production of the fighter jet is 14 units, and it is striving to increase it to 20 units.

In addition, one of the sources said that Saudi Arabia is also negotiating to purchase the Typhoon fighter jets, but the country is currently more focused on the U.S. F-35 fighter jets.

Previously, Turkey hoped to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the United States. However, after Turkey purchased the Russian S-400 air defense system in 2019, the United States expelled it from the F-35 cooperation program. In 2020, the United States imposed sanctions on the Turkish Defense Industry Agency and relevant senior officials under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), further worsening the relationship between the two countries.

Turkey has always wanted to resolve the dispute with the United States and rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program. According to Reuters, President Erdogan of Turkey said during his return trip after attending the NATO summit on June 26: "We haven't given up on the F-35, we are discussing our return to the project with the United States. We discussed this issue in our meeting with President Trump, and technical-level negotiations have already begun."

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