Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said that Germany has decided to temporarily authorize the possible sale of 40 Eurofighter Typhoons to the country.
The German government was previously against a deal, but reportedly gave in to the appeals of its partners, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy.
The Typhoon currently has few orders and there was a risk that the assembly line would be shut down within a few years.
Despite the German approval, the acquisition has not yet been completed, Guler said. The Turkish Air Force has been seeking to strengthen its fighter fleet after the failure to supply the F-35 during the Trump administration.
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A NATO member, Turkey maintains ties with Russia, which prompted the purchase of SAM 400 surface-to-air missile systems. The agreement prevented the country from continuing in the F-35 program.
Recently, however, the United States government authorized the sale of 40 F-16 Block 70 fighters in addition to 79 upgrade kits for older variants of the Lockheed Martin jet.
If confirmed, the Typhoons will be a bridge until the delivery of the first 5th generation KAAN fighters, which are being developed by the Turkish state-owned TAI. The jet is expected to enter service in the 2030s.
The Eurofighter program was launched in the 1980s to supply European air forces with a 4th generation fighter. France could have been part of the consortium but preferred to develop its own aircraft, the Dassault Rafale.
Among the partners, Germany has been against accepting new orders from countries with which it has resistance, as also occurred with Saudi Arabia.
