With its top priority being to boost its air power, Turkey has put forward proposals to its European allies and the US on how it could immediately acquire modern fighter jets as it seeks to narrow the gap between itself and regional rivals such as Israel, according to sources familiar with the talks and reported by Reuters.

Turkey, a NATO member with the alliance’s second-largest military, is seeking to use its improved relations with the West in recent years to add to its ageing fleet of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters Eurofighter for which it signed an initial deal in July, and, later, US-built F-35 fighter jets, despite US sanctions currently preventing any deal.

Military strikes by Israel, with hundreds of US F-15, F-16, and F-35 fighter jets, against Turkey’s neighbours, such as Iran and Syria, as well as Lebanon and Qatar, caused concern in Ankara last year. These attacks demonstrated serious weaknesses, leading Turkey to boost its air power to counter potential threats immediately.

Indeed, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has strongly condemned Israel’s attacks on Gaza and other areas of the Middle East, and the two countries’ once-friendly relations have now deteriorated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Turkish bases and military support in Syria pose a threat to his country.

Greece, a threat more symbolic but always sensitive to Turkey, is expected to take delivery of a batch of modern F-35s over the next three years. In recent years, fighters from the two NATO members have participated in sporadic air engagements over the Aegean Sea, and Athens has previously expressed concern over the strengthening of Turkish military capabilities.