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(Bloomberg) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to visit Qatar this week with a request to buy 24 used Eurofighter Typhoon jets to modernize his country’s air force.
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The UK, a member of the Eurofighter consortium, has facilitated talks over the transfer of the Tranche 3A jets from Qatar to its close military ally Turkey, alongside Ankara’s request to buy 16 new Tranche 4 jets as part of a deal worth several billion dollars, according to people familiar with the matter.
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The deal has not been finalized and discussions over technical arrangements are ongoing, the people said.
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NATO member Turkey is the second-largest operator of US F-16s in the world and has never operated other foreign models. It is looking to deepen defense ties with Europe and hopes to begin initial deliveries of Eurofighters as early as next year, with new F-16s possibly not arriving before 2030, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Nearly all European countries have expanded defense spending this year as they confront an aggressive Russia.
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Erdogan is scheduled visit Doha on Wednesday as part of a regional tour including Kuwait and Oman this week. Turkey’s defense ministry declined to comment. The UK defense ministry and the Qatari government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Ankara signed a preliminary agreement on the multibillion-dollar sale of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets in July with the UK, which has been facilitating the sales as a member of the consortium that comprises Airbus SE, Britain’s BAE Systems Plc and Italy’s Leonardo SpA.
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Details of the discussions have not been made public but Bloomberg reported previously that Turkey may spend about €10 billion ($11.6 billion) for new and used fighters along with Meteor air-to-air missiles, developed by MBDA, a joint venture involving BAE Systems, Airbus, and Leonardo.
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The agreement in July came after Ankara’s bid for the purchase won support from all consortium members, including Germany, which had blocked the sale for more than two years amid tensions between Turkey and European Union member Greece over energy exploration plans in the eastern Mediterranean.
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“From the German perspective, there are no restrictions,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to Ankara on Friday, referring to defense cooperation with Turkey. “One could almost ask: With whom else should we cooperate if not with our NATO partner?”
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—With assistance from Fiona MacDonald and Ellen Milligan.
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