Turkey, barred by the US from acquiring the F-35 Lightning II stealth aircraft, is currently working on technological research to buy another fighter jet that once “killed” the powerful F-22 Raptor in war games .
Turkey had previously announced that it was holding talks with members of the Eurofighter consortium, which is made up of Britain, Spain, Italy and Germany. All member states except Germany have expressed interest in selling fighter jets to Ankara and are reportedly holding technical discussions to expedite the purchase process.
Germany’s refusal to allow the sale of Eurofighters to Turkey is likely due to Turkey’s human rights record. Berlin suspended arms sales to Turkey in 2019 following Turkey’s offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group YPG.
The Turkish government has asked Germany to lift restrictions so it can build up its aging air force, but Berlin has not given in to its demands.
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However, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz scheduled to visit Istanbul on October 19, there is some optimism that further discussions could lead to a positive outcome.
When reporters asked Scholz if a sale was on the table, he said: “Of course we are always talking about supplying arms to our NATO partners,” adding that the UK is also currently in talks with the Turkish government about a potential sale. He added that he is doing so.
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According to some recent reports, Germany has given the green light to start technical talks regarding a possible purchase, but has imposed certain conditions.
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but, Turkish defense officials refuted this claim. “We are focused on incorporating modern combat aircraft with advanced technology into the Turkish Air Force inventory. At the same time, we will diversify the fleet,” several unknown defense officials told reporters.
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Since last year, Ankara has been trying to acquire around 40 Eurofighters at an estimated cost of $5.6 billion.
Earlier this month, media reports said Germany had approved a $368 million arms sale to Türkiye. The sale also reportedly included anti-aircraft missiles and submarine torpedoes. This has fueled optimism that approval for the Eurofighter Typhoon may finally be around the corner.
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Turkey’s interest in purchasing the Eurofighter Typhoon comes after a long process to buy the F-16 from the United States, which was approved earlier this year after the Turkish government approved Sweden’s NATO membership. It was done. However, just a few months later, the country officially went after the Eurofighter Typhoon instead. You can read more about the details in the EurAsian Times report.
The Turkish Air Force is currently dominated by aging F-16 fighter jets. The country was previously scheduled to receive the cutting-edge F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet, but the United States kicked it out of the F-35 program due to the purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defense system.
Meanwhile, enemy country Greece acquired the 4.5 generation Rafale and signed a contract for F-35 stealth fighter jets.
Turkey wants Eurofighter to fill the void left after it was removed from the F-35 program. As the country continues to develop its fifth-generation KAAN aircraft, experts believe acquiring the Eurofighter and upgrading its F-16 fleet will strengthen its airpower, especially in the face of the challenges posed by the Hellenic Air Force. I think so.
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Additionally, while the fifth-generation stealth aircraft was an ideal addition to the Turkish Air Force, as originally planned, the Eurofighter Typhoon is also a force to be reckoned with, and is said to have “downed” the American F-22 Raptor. He has made achievements. war game.
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More than a decade ago, America’s formidable air superiority fighter F-22 Raptor, considered the world’s most capable jet due to its stealth capabilities and sensor fusion technology, was outnumbered by Germany’s 4.5th general-purpose Eurofighter Typhoon. They were defeated in the second aerial battle.
The fiasco occurred during the United States Air Force’s (USAF) large-scale Red Flag air combat exercise over Alaska in 2012.
Red Flag is an advanced air combat training exercise conducted by the U.S. Air Force several times a year. It simulates sub-national conflicts by pitting a variety of aircraft, often from multiple countries, against realistic, large-scale threats.
Germany participated in the 2012 training exercise by sending eight Eurofighter Typhoons from the Luftwaffe’s 74th Tactical Wing, the 74th Fighter Wing, to Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.
The training included a series of close-in visual range (WVR) dogfights between Typhoons and Raptors. And in a very unexpected result, the German Eurofighter Typhoons suffered a conceptual defeat to the Raptors in a close battle.
This wasn’t the first time the Raptors suffered defeat. In fact, prior to these exercises, the Raptor had been defeated in dogfights by more advanced aircraft such as the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare fighter and the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
However, the loss to the German Eurofighter somehow became a big deal due to the high profile this event received.
For the German Eurofighter, it was no mean feat. After the exercise, German Eurofighter pilots arrived at the 2012 Farnborough International Air Show, where they discussed their victory over the Raptors. Later, German aircraft were also seen marking their aircraft with F-22 shoot-down markings.
Eurofighter pilots told reporters at the Farnborough Show that their aircraft not only performed as well as the Raptor, but also outperformed the Raptor in the WVR (within visual range) field when operated without external fuel tanks. He said it exceeded that. The Typhoon IRST (Infrared Search and Track) system can locate stealth aircraft from approximately 50 kilometers away. “Especially with a large, hot aircraft like the F-22,” said the Eurofighter pilot.
Experts later revealed that although the F-22’s stealth and ability to operate beyond visual range allowed it to maintain an advantage, dogfights showed that the Eurofighter was a highly competitive aerial combat aircraft at close range. I assumed it was proven.
Fighter planes participating in dogfights must accelerate and turn faster to defeat enemy aircraft. The Eurofighter outperforms the F-22 in both of these areas. Additionally, the Typhoon’s design, particularly the materials used in its construction, allows for relatively good stealth despite being a 4.5 generation platform.
According to the aircraft manufacturer, “The aircraft is constructed from advanced composite materials to provide a durable airframe with a low radar profile. Only 15% of the aircraft’s surfaces are metal, making it a stealth operations and protection from radar-based systems.”
If Germany approves the sale of the Eurofighter Typhoon to Turkey, it will significantly strengthen the Turkish Air Force until the fifth generation KAAN is completed. For now, all eyes are on the German Chancellor, who is making a long-awaited visit to Türkiye.
