Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defence (Turkish MoD) has clarified that the Eurofighter Typhoon procurement process is currently centred on training and infrastructure preparation rather than imminent aircraft delivery.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, MoD Press and Public Relations Advisor and Ministry Spokesperson Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk announced that, within the scope of the Eurofighter Typhoon procurement project, a delegation will conduct a working visit to RAF Coningsby in the United Kingdom between 24–27 February. The visit aims to initiate planning for the first training phases of both aircrew and ground personnel.
Aktürk’s remarks effectively rule out earlier media claims suggesting that Eurofighter aircraft could arrive in Türkiye as early as February. Instead, the process appears aligned with the Turkish Air Force’s established sustainment doctrine, which prioritises personnel qualification and maintenance infrastructure before platform induction.
Under this framework, pilot and technician training constitutes the first milestone, followed by the establishment of the required maintenance ecosystem. Initial heavy maintenance activities are expected to be carried out at the 1st Air Maintenance Factory Directorate in Eskişehir, operated by ASFAT A.Ş. under the authority of the Turkish MoD.
Aktürk also disclosed that President of Europe at AIRBUS, Jose Luis De Miguel Cortes and the accompanying AIRBUS delegation visited visited Türkiye between 17–19 February, meeting Deputy Ministers Musa Heybet and Salih Ayhan. Heybet serves concurrently as Chairman of the Board of ASFAT A.Ş., while the Directorate General of Military Factories operates under Ayhan’s supervision.
TurDef assesses that the Airbus visit likely covered both the ongoing retrofit programme for Türkiye’s A400M transport aircraft fleet and prospective maintenance and sustainment arrangements linked to the Eurofighter acquisition. To date, negotiations with Türkiye on behalf of the Eurofighter consortium have largely been conducted by BAE Systems. As the programme advances into the logistics and sustainment phase, TurDef expects individual consortium members to negotiate their respective industrial and support frameworks directly.
The Eurofighter procurement agreement covers 20 aircraft along with a classified weapons package, the quantity and type of which remain undisclosed. Logistics and sustainment will be addressed under a separate agreement expected to be signed in March or April.
