A critical stage is being reached in the Eurofighter Typhoon procurement process to meet the Turkish Air Force’s warplane needs. While the Ministry of National Defense announced that the training of Turkish pilots to be sent to England is planned to start on September 7, all eyes turned to the new equation in the air. Procurement of Eurofighter is important in terms of the aging of Türkiye’s current warplane fleet, its removal from the F-35 program, and meeting the need until the National Combat Aircraft KAAN enters the inventory. Ministry of Defense Press and Public Relations Advisor Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk stated that Eurofighter Typhoon procurement activities with the UK continue to meet the operational needs of the Air Forces Command, and the training calendar of the pilots was also announced.
THE NEED FOR AIR POWER
Eurofighter procurement is of critical importance for the Turkish Air Force’s fighter jet planning in the coming years. In the files previously brought to the agenda by Haberglobal.com, it was pointed out that Türkiye had approximately 230-240 F-16s in its inventory, whereas it was necessary to have at least 400 modern combat aircraft in line with strategic needs. Turkey planned to add 30 F-35 fighter jets to its inventory in the first stage and a total of 100 in the future, starting from 2019, but this plan could not be implemented after it was removed from the F-35 program. The fact that a significant part of the current F-16 fleet has been in use for many years has made the need for a new generation fighter aircraft more important. In the current situation, Eurofighters are expected to be one of the important platforms that will meet the needs of the Turkish Air Force until the National Combat Aircraft KAAN reaches full operational capacity.
THE NEED FOR PILOT IS ALSO CRITICAL
In the Eurofighter process, training pilots who will use these platforms effectively is as important as the supply of aircraft. In modern air forces, operational capacity is measured not only by the number of aircraft in the inventory, but also by the availability of a sufficient number of trained pilots to ensure mission continuity. In this context, the training process, which will start on September 7, is seen as an important step in the operational preparation phase of Eurofighter procurement.
EXPERIENCED PILOTS IN 7 MONTHS
Retired Air Pilot Brigadier General Dr. In his evaluation, Hüseyin Öte states that experienced jet pilots can reach the level of using Eurofighter with approximately 7 months of training, while for pilots who have just started flying, this period may increase up to approximately 10 months. In the first stage of the planning, it is expected that instructor pilots will receive training and then return to Türkiye and take part in training new Eurofighter pilots.
BRIDGE TO KAAN
While the modernization of the current F-16 fleet continues in Türkiye’s fighter jet planning, the mass production and inventory entry process of the National Combat Aircraft KAAN continues. Eurofighter is aimed to support the air-air combat, prevention and deterrence capacity of the Turkish Air Force during this transition period. In previous planning, it was planned to procure 24 Eurofighters in the first phase and to increase the total number to 40 in the following period. Eurofighter’s structure in compliance with NATO standards, its compatibility with the existing base infrastructure and the possibility of integration of domestic ammunition into the system are among the prominent topics for Türkiye.
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