Eurofighter Purchase, Tayfun Missile, Iron Dome and the European Union's SAFE Programme

Israel's conflict with Iran, which began on 13 June and subsequently involved the United States, taught us many lessons. We saw that there are lessons to be learned about how a country's defence should be organised.

The most important of these is that Iran, despite its claims of possessing very powerful missiles, was not very effective. Israel, despite its Iron Dome air defence system, was unable to fully protect itself.

This situation also taught us that the ability to effectively use the weapons and defence tools one possesses is just as important as owning them.

The acquisition of Eurofighter aircraft is very important in terms of increasing diversity in the field of defence in our country.

As we learned from the Iran-Israel war, it is essential not to put all your eggs in one basket. This situation has taught us that our country's defence must be strengthened by utilising the strengths and weaknesses of different systems together.

Israel, by producing drones within Iran through the cells it established there, left the country's air defence, airfields, and important facilities defenceless in a single day. In other words, all these facilities were rendered useless. In this way, Israeli air force planes, also using Syrian and Iraqi airspace, easily bombed their targets within Iran.

The first of the most important lessons we can learn from this blind fight-like event is the ability to use the systems you have in the most effective way, the training of your personnel, and the need for your people to be trained for all kinds of events.

If we take a look at the features and advantages of Eurofighter aircraft:

The Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet is a multi-role 4.5 generation fighter jet that has carved out a unique place for itself among modern fighter jets.

Developed through the joint efforts of the Eurofighter Consortium members, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain, this fighter aircraft is designed for both air superiority missions and operations against land and sea targets.

The Eurofighter Typhoon, which made its maiden flight in 1994, stands out for its multi-role capabilities, advanced avionics and impressive performance, in line with modern warfare doctrines.

Joint Production and Design Process

The Eurofighter Typhoon project was managed through a system based on task sharing between countries.

• United Kingdom (BAE Systems): Fuselage design and avionics integration.

• Germany (Airbus Defence): Wing structures and software development.

• Italy (Leonardo): Weapons systems integration.

• Spain (Airbus Military): Rear fuselage section.

The Eurofighter Typhoon has an aerodynamically highly efficient delta-wing and canard design. This design:

• Manoeuvrability: Provides superior manoeuvrability even at high altitudes and low speeds.

• Speed and Stability: Offers balanced flight performance at supersonic speeds. The Typhoon has proven itself to be one of the world's fastest 4.5 generation fighter aircraft, reaching speeds of 2,450 km per hour.

Avionics and Sensor Systems

The Eurofighter Typhoon is equipped with advanced sensor and avionics systems to ensure superiority in the modern battlefield. These include:

ECR-90 CAPTOR Radar: Provides advanced target detection, tracking, and engagement capabilities.

DASS (Defensive Aids Sub-System): Includes electronic warfare, radar warning receivers, and missile countermeasure systems.

Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD): A helmet-integrated display system that provides pilots with situational awareness.

The Eurofighter Typhoon has the capacity to carry a wide range of weapons. This makes it a multi-role platform suitable for both air superiority and land and sea attack missions.

Weapons:

Air-to-Air Missiles: AIM-120 AMRAAM, Meteor, AIM-9 Sidewinder.

Air-to-Ground Munitions: Storm Shadow cruise missile, Paveway laser-guided bombs.

Internal Armament: 27mm Mauser BK-27 cannon (a critical advantage in air combat).

The Eurofighter Typhoon can carry up to 9 tonnes of munitions in total and, thanks to its 13 external stations under the wings, can use a wide variety of weapon systems simultaneously.

There are different versions of the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft that have been produced to date. The latest version is called Tranche 4.

Features of the Tranche 4 Version

Focus: To gain superiority against new generation threats.

Features: Advanced avionics infrastructure, increased structural durability and greater mission adaptability. This Tranche stands out as a structure representing the future of the Typhoon and enables it to remain competitive with other fighter aircraft.

Typhoon production is currently continuing with Tranche 4. New weapon and pod development activities for Tranche 4 are ongoing. By 2030, the German Air Force's Eurofighters will be adapted for electronic warfare under the name Typhoon-EK.

TAYFUN Block-4 Missile

When we talk about the TAYFUN Missile, the most important thing to understand is that it is a missile system with a high level of reliability that will have an impact on deep targets. Thanks to its cruise speed reaching hypersonic levels, it is not affected by air defence system threats and provides high strike accuracy against the targets it is launched against.

Among these concepts, we hear terms such as cruise missile, ballistic missile, and hypersonic missile.

What is the difference between a ballistic missile and a normal missile?

Ballistic missiles and cruise missiles are quite different from each other. Cruise missiles move autonomously for most of their flight, flying in a relatively straight line and at lower altitudes thanks to rocket fuel. In contrast, the flight path of a ballistic missile is like a large arc extending up and down.

A ballistic missile is a long-range guided or unguided missile capable of carrying nuclear, chemical, or biological warheads. These missiles can carry a single nuclear warhead

or multiple warheads, which can be directed at different targets.

Meanwhile, Turkey's air defence system, known as the ‘Steel Dome’, is gradually taking shape.

The Steel Dome is a multi-layered air defence system developed by Turkey using domestic technology. It is defined as an integrated architecture in which air defence systems operating at different altitudes work together.

Çelik Kubbe will be built as a ‘security umbrella’ covering the entire Turkish airspace against threats ranging from ‘very low altitude to very high altitude’ and ‘very short range to long range’.

SSB President Haluk Görgün stated in a video shared by his organisation, ‘Our National Steel Dome project will enable the integration of our air defence systems, sensors and weapons into a single network.’

Equipped with an artificial intelligence support system, the project will be jointly carried out by public defence industry players such as ASELSAN, Roketsan and MKE, as well as the public research organisation TÜBİTAK SAGE.

IDEF announced that the main objective of the TAYFUN Block- system, introduced in 2025, is to provide high strike power at long range. These are:

Guidance: Coordinate guidance system

Warhead: Pre-formed fragmentation warhead

Platforms: Typhoon weapon system

CEP value ≤ 10 metres (strike accuracy)

Resistance to jamming.

The TAYFUN Missile is a highly reliable missile system designed to impact deep targets. Thanks to its cruise speed reaching hypersonic levels, it is unaffected by air defence system threats and prevents unwanted damage with its high strike accuracy. In addition to offering logistical advantages and operational flexibility, such as a short readiness time and the ability to rapidly shift firepower, the system also has a high level of electronic warfare resistance against global positioning system jamming. Thanks to its low environmental sensitivity, the TAYFUN Missile can operate in all weather conditions, day and night.

Target Type: Air Defence Missile Systems, Soft Armoured and Unarmoured Weapon Systems, Command and Control Centres, Military Aircraft Hangars, Critical Military Facilities, Strategic Targets.

The fundamental objective of TAYFUN is to maximise the long-range strike capability of our armed forces and to perform tasks to the highest standard within their respective mission parameters.

Centimetre-accurate precision strike: "This technology enables us to neutralise the desired target with multiple strikes, independent of distance. This technology has many sensors. Not all of them are disclosed. However, the TAYFUN weapon system is considered one of the leading systems in our country and the world in terms of both strike accuracy and strike power."

WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN UNION SAFE PROGRAMME?

What is the SAFE programme approved by the members of the EU as of 27 May 2025?

The SAFE initiative, which aims to strengthen the European Union's defence industry by 2030, is shaped within the scope of the ‘ReArm Europe’ and ‘Readiness 2030’ plans and provides member countries with €150 billion in favourable loans for defence investments.

Since the end of the Cold War, insufficient investment has been made in the defence industry within the EU, leading to a weakening of the military capacity of EU member states. Many European countries have also shifted their defence production facilities to other areas; this situation has led to weaknesses within the EU in areas such as skilled labour, production capacity, adaptation to new technologies, and logistical flexibility.

The SAFE programme is a new financial instrument that will support member states wishing to invest in defence industry production through joint procurement within the EU, focusing on existing capabilities within the EU.

SAFE's priorities include:

Strengthening the European Defence Technology and Industrial Base (EDTIB),

Encouraging joint defence procurement between at least two EU countries,

Closing critical capability gaps such as air defence, artillery and UAVs,

Replenishing arms and ammunition stocks depleted by EU aid to Ukraine,

Increasing transparency to attract private sector investment.

It is designed to complement existing EU programmes such as SAFE, EDIRPA, ASAP and EDIP. 65% of the credit will be allocated to companies in EU or European Economic Area (EEA) countries, while 35% may be granted to non-EU suppliers such as Turkey, the US or the UK.

Turkey's potential contributions to SAFE stand out in the following areas:

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV/UCAV):

Systems such as Bayraktar TB2 and ANKA can meet the urgent needs of European countries with their rapid delivery, cost-effectiveness and proven reliability in the field.

Ammunition and Missiles:

Companies such as Roketsan and MKE produce 155mm artillery shells, rockets, anti-tank missiles (UMTAS) and guided systems (SOM, Atmaca). Turkey can rapidly meet NATO-standard stockpiling demands.

Armoured Vehicles:

MRAPs, APCs and tactical vehicles produced by companies such as Otokar, FNSS, Nurol Makina and BMC are actively used by Ukraine, Hungary, Romania and Estonia. Their low unit cost provides an advantage for small-scale EU armies.

Electronic Warfare, Radar and Communication Systems:

ASELSAN's KORAL electronic warfare system, AESA radars, and encrypted communication solutions are NATO-standard and battle-proven.

Air Platforms and Engines:

The KAAN 5th generation fighter jet project, T129 ATAK helicopters, and TEI's domestic engine development efforts can offer niche technologies. Partnerships with Rolls-Royce and Leonardo are also in place.

Turkey can also participate in joint production, R&D collaborations and technology sharing within the SAFE ecosystem.

For example:

-Nurol Makina's joint venture in Hungary,

-Otokar's production in Romania,

-Baykar's acquisition of Piaggio Aerospace.