Eurofighter deal with Türkiye nearing finalization: Top Airbus official

BERLIN, GERMANY — OCT. 23, 2025: Airbus Defence and Space CEO Michael Schoellhorn said talks on selling Eurofighter jets to Türkiye are approaching the final stages, and he's very optimistic the negotiations will soon conclude successfully.In an exclusive interview with Anadolu, Schoellhorn said Germany's past reservations about the sale of Eurofighters have been overcome, and the new coalition government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made clear it will not block the sale.“Well, I think in terms of the German export control discussions, those are a thing of the past,” Schoellhorn said, referring to years of German domestic political debate. “The German government has stated very clearly: we will not be blocking, we support the idea of delivering Eurofighters to Türkiye. So that, I think, is done,” he stressed.Schoellhorn said the talks are approaching final stages, with BAE Systems -- the UK partner in the Eurofighter consortium -- now leading negotiations with Ankara for the sale of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets.“Now it's a commercial and technical discussion that takes place between Eurofighter -- in this case led by BAE Systems, our partner in the Eurofighter consortium -- and the Turkish state,” the CEO said, adding that he's very optimistic the talks with Ankara will conclude successfully soon.Türkiye, which maintains NATO's second-largest military force, plans to acquire 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets -- multi-role combat aircraft jointly manufactured by the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain.The talks stalled over the past few years as Germany's previous Social Democrat-led coalition government had reservations about the sale, largely due to the opposition from its coalition partner, the Greens.(Footage by Ayhan Şimşek/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)