Germany thwarts Erdogan’s plan, refuses to supply this elite fighter jet to Turkey because…, the fighter jet is …

Eurofighter Typhoon: Germany has imposed a ban on the sale of more than 30 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Turkey. The coalition government of Social Democrats and Greens announced this on Thursday, April 17. This decision comes in the wake of political turmoil and heavy protests in Turkey. The German government has expressed concern over the arrest of Turkish opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu. The German government believes that approving arms sales after İmamoğlu’s arrest would not be appropriate. Germany’s move could affect NATO, the European defense industry, and politics in the Eastern Mediterranean. It raises questions about Turkey’s role in southern NATO. Meanwhile, this decision by Germany has also dealt a blow to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s plan to modernize the Turkish army.

Turkey has made a deal to purchase around three dozen Eurofighter Typhoons from Germany. The Eurofighter Typhoon is one of the best combat jets available today. It is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing multirole fighter aircraft, co-developed by Germany, Britain, Italy, and Spain. This aircraft is capable of striking both air and ground targets. Turkey has over 200 F-16 fighter jets, but they have become outdated. Therefore, Turkey wanted to buy the Eurofighter, but Germany has stepped back.

Turkey’s Aerospace Industries is also developing a fifth-generation fighter aircraft named TF-X. This aircraft is said to have even better features than the F-35, but it will take several years for it to be ready. For now, Turkey has the option to purchase fighter jets from Russia and China, but being a NATO member, it will need to proceed cautiously in this regard. In this situation, Turkey may have to consider new alternatives for its air force.

Germany’s allies have become upset. Disagreements have also arisen within the Eurofighter consortium due to Germany’s decision. The reason is that Britain and Spain wanted to finalize this deal, which would have been very beneficial for them. Germany halted this deal keeping its political interests in mind, leading to dissatisfaction among its allied countries. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had previously supported this deal, but he changed his decision after Imamoglu’s arrest.

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