Türkiye closes in on Qatari Eurofighter buy

Türkiye is looking to buy an undisclosed number of Qatar's 24 Eurofighter combat aircraft (pictured), ahead of it receiving 20 newbuild aircraft ordered in October 2025. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)

Türkiye is looking to finalise a deal with Qatar for the purchase of the Gulf state's surplus Eurofighter combat aircraft, the Turkish Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on 22 October 2026.

In its weekly briefing to media, the MoD said that efforts to acquire Qatari Eurofighters to help bolster the standing up of its own national capability continue, with recent meetings being held between the two countries on the matter.

“Efforts are ongoing to procure Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from Qatar to meet the operational needs of our [Turkish] Air Force Command,” the MoD said. “Within this framework, inter-delegation meetings held in August and September addressed the scope of aircraft and ammunition to be procured, the training of pilots and maintenance personnel, and technical and logistical support for the maintenance and operation of the aircraft.”

News of the progress came 12 months after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in October 2025 that he was looking to buy surplus Eurofighters from both Qatar and Oman. With the Oman's 12 Eurofighters being at an earlier standard than Qatar's 24 (they are equipped with the CAPTOR mechanically scanned radar rather than the Leonardo European Commons Radar system [ECRS] Mk 0 electronically scanned radar), Türkiye's attentions are now focused on the Qatari jets only (although it remains to be confirmed how many).

Once acquired, the Qatari Eurofighters will help the Turkish Air Force (TuAF) to stand up its capabilities following the acquisition of 20 newbuild aircraft that were ordered in October 2025. Janes