Germany has agreed to enter negotiations with Türkiye over the potential delivery of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, following a preliminary request from Airbus. The announcement came from German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Josef Hinterseher, who confirmed that the government had approved talks regarding the proposed deal.
“The German government has responded positively to Airbus’ initial request to conduct negotiations on the delivery of Eurofighter aircraft to Türkiye. These aircraft are used within the NATO framework for collective defense purposes,” Hinterseher said.
German Foreign Minister to Visit AnkaraAs part of the ongoing process, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will visit Ankara on Friday, October 17, to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The talks are expected to focus primarily on the Eurofighter issue. The Ankara trip will be Minister Wadephul’s first official visit to Türkiye.
The visit follows a series of diplomatic efforts by Türkiye to acquire the Eurofighter Typhoon, a goal that has become one of Ankara’s key defense priorities. The United Kingdom, Spain and Italy (members of the Eurofighter consortium alongside Germany) have already expressed their approval of the sale. However, Berlin has long been the main obstacle within the consortium, citing political rather than technical concerns.
At IDEF 2025, Türkiye and the United Kingdom signed a Memorandum of Understanding, marking a significant step toward the potential deal. Eurofighter CEO Jorge Tamarit-Degenhardt welcomed the move at the time, while German hesitation has continued to slow progress.
The debate over Eurofighter deliveries mirrors Türkiye’s earlier challenges in acquiring air defense systems from its allies. A similar impasse over the U.S. Patriot system years ago led Ankara to procure the Russian S-400, resulting in its removal from the F-35 fighter program. The ongoing Eurofighter discussions are therefore viewed as a potential test case for whether NATO allies can overcome political friction and strengthen cooperation within the alliance.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently underscored Türkiye’s growing importance to the alliance, noting the scale of its defense industry. “Türkiye has a very big defense industrial base. Sometimes we forget what they have. I visited some of their companies. It’s really impressive. We have to make sure that the Turkish defense industry is as closely connected as possible with the UK, Norway and the European Union,” he said.
