Turkey’s Erdogan is said to seek German backing for Eurofighter deal at NATO summit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to lobby German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for support on Turkey’s bid to purchase Eurofighter Typhoon jets during a meeting on the sidelines of this week’s NATO summit, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the plans.

The two leaders are scheduled to meet Wednesday in The Hague as Ankara continues its efforts to acquire dozens of Eurofighters, a multi-role combat aircraft built by a European consortium including Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF) (OTCPK:EADSY), BAE Systems (OTCPK:BAESF) (OTCPK:BAESY) and Leonardo (OTCPK:FINMF) (OTCPK:FINMY). Turkish officials say the country is also awaiting German approval for spare parts needed to maintain its fleet of Leopard tanks, submarines and other military equipment.

The United Kingdom, one of the nations involved in Eurofighter production, provided Turkey with an initial price offer for the jets in March, signaling momentum after years of stalled talks. Past efforts have faced resistance from Berlin, primarily because of geopolitical tensions between Turkey and Greece over competing energy claims in the Mediterranean.

Erdogan argues that defense trade among NATO partners should be free of political obstacles.

Tranche 4 fighter jets

Turkey is looking to purchase more than 20 of the latest Tranche 4 Eurofighters, along with some older models that would offer faster delivery at a lower cost, according to Turkish officials. The proposed package, which may exceed €10 billion ($11.4 billion), includes Meteor air-to-air missiles developed by MBDA, a joint venture between BAE, Airbus and Leonardo.

Ankara, the second-largest operator of U.S.-made F-16 fighters, has not previously fielded other Western combat aircraft. The push to modernize its air force comes as Turkey seeks to bolster its military posture amid heightened instability in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

In parallel with the Eurofighter negotiations, Erdogan is also expected to press U.S. President Donald Trump for approval to purchase new F-16s, F-35 stealth fighters and to engage in co-production of fighter jet engines. A meeting between the Turkish and U.S. presidents is scheduled for Tuesday evening in The Hague.

Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after acquiring a Russian-made missile defense system, triggering U.S. sanctions. Ankara continues to seek a path back into the U.S.-led F-35 project, whose main contractor is Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), while neighboring Greece is slated to begin receiving F-35s in the coming years.