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Turkey has inked a preliminary deal with Britain and Germany to acquire a fleet of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, triggering alarm bells amongst Ankara’s rivals in the Middle East, including Israel, Greece, and Cyprus. According to media reports, Ankara has signed a $5.6 billion deal to acquire the Eurofighter Typhoon, a 4.5 generation ultra-modern fighter jet, jointly developed by Germany, Britain, Italy, and Spain.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to modernize the Turkish air force, and has made efforts to purchase F-35 fighter jets from its NATO ally, the United States. However, deal remains uncertain, primarily because of Israeli pressure and Ankara’s decision to purchase the S-400 air defence system from Russia.
Thus, Turkey has settled for the Eurofighter Typhoon, an advanced fighter jet in its own right, which is comparable to the French Dassault Rafale, and US’ F-16 fighters.
Meanwhile, Turkey move threatens the security of three of India’s friends in the Middle East– Israel, Greece and Cypress. The trio have express outrage towards Germany and Britain for signing the deal with Ankara, claiming this will boost Erdogan’s efforts to enforce Turkish hegemony in the volatile region.
According to defense experts, the primary reason driving Turkey’s purchase of the Eurofighter Typhoon jets is the fear of an aerial attack by the Israeli Air Force, akin to what they did against Iran on June 12, which triggered the 12-day Israel-Iran war. The Eurofighter fleet would give a significant power boost to the Turkish, enabling them to counter any aerial threat from Israel or other rival nations like Greece or Cyprus.
Many fear than Ankara may use it air power to bully fellow NATO member Greece, with whom it has a dispute over Cyprus and a maritime border dispute over the right to extract gas in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. However, Turkish officials say that Ankara has agreed to Germany’s condition that the Eurofighter fleet will only be used under the general guidelines of NATO, which means Turkey cannot use the fighter jets against a fellow NATO member like Greece.
Notably, the European Union (EU) wants a stronger Turkey to counter Russia if Moscow launches an attack on NATO countries.
Ankara’s move has created an uproar in Israel with Leader of Opposition Yair Lapid attacking the Benjamin Netanyahu government for being unable to stop the deal. Lapid stated that Turkey has the largest and most powerful navy in the Middle East and now wants to match Israel in the air as well, which will endanger the security of the Jewish nation.
Beyond the Eurofighter jet deal, Turkey is also working on an agreement with the US to procure 40 F-35 fighter jets. Additionally, the country is also working on the development of the indigenous ‘Kaan’ fifth-generation fighter jet.
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