Germany has approved opening negotiations with Turkey on a possible sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets, the German government said, clearing a key political hurdle ahead of Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s visit to Ankara on October 17.
“It’s right that the German government recently responded positively to a preliminary enquiry from Airbus concerning negotiations with Turkey on the delivery of Eurofighters,” Wadephul told the Greek Ta Nea newspaper on October 11.
Wadephul acknowledged Athens’ concerns about the potential deal but said deploying the aircraft against NATO or EU members would be “inconceivable.”
“These aircraft are part of a NATO system — they serve our collective defense and are intended to increase the security of all European partners. Deployment against another NATO member or an EU member state is inconceivable,” he said.
Wadephul is due to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and discuss the Eurofighter talks along with regional security issues and humanitarian concerns in Gaza.
The decision to allow the talks marks a shift from earlier German reluctance to approve major arms sales to Turkey over human rights and political concerns, but it does not amount to a contract or an export license. Terms including price, delivery schedule and end-use guarantees must still be agreed by the Eurofighter partner governments and the companies that make the jets.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is produced by a European consortium led by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. Britain signed a preliminary memorandum of understanding with Turkey in July 2025 seeking to pave the way for a possible sale of 40 aircraft, and Germany’s clearance this month removes a major obstacle to formal negotiations.
Turkey’s drive for new fighters follows its 2019 removal from the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program after it purchased Russian S-400 air defense systems, a move that left the Turkish air force facing capability gaps.
Turkey remains engaged with the US on a scaled-down F-16 purchase and upgrade package while pursuing talks on Eurofighter Typhoons and testing prototypes of its indigenous Kaan stealth fighter, which officials say is aimed at entering service in the late 2020s to early 2030s.