Oman may soon order 24 Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets worth as much as $3.6 billion. Negotiations between the British and Omani governments are reported to be nearing a conclusion, but there has been no official comment. Last year, UK Ministry of Defence officials downplayed the sensitive talks in a Typhoon briefing for defense journalists. In 2004, Oman considered and rejected the Typhoon in favor of buying F-16s from the U.S. But the UK Royal Air Force has maintained a close partnership with the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) ever since British aircrews were seconded to help form the air arm in the late 1950s. One retired British officer who served two tours with the RAFO told AIN, “The Typhoon is much more mature now than in 2004.”