BEIRUT — Turkey has signed a deal with the United Kingdom to buy 20 Eurofighter Typhoons, worth $10.66 billion, in what the UK prime minister’s office called “the biggest fighter jet exports deal in a generation,” according to a statement today.
“This landmark agreement with Türkiye is a win for British workers, a win for our defence industry, and a win for NATO security,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in the statement. “At either ends of Europe, the UK and Türkiye are vital to tackling the challenges of our time and this will allow our Armed Forces to work even closer together as we deter threats and protect our national interests.”
The deal was signed during a meeting between Starmer and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Starmer, who is visiting Ankara for the first time, shared the announcement in a video posted on X, which showed him standing in front of Eurofighter Typhoons.
The agreement solidifies a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the two nations signed in July at the International Defense Industry Fair in Istanbul for a total of 40 of the fourth-generation fighter jets.
Negotiations to reach a deal have been ongoing for more than two years as Germany, a member of the Eurofighter consortium, held up the deal over concerns about human rights and other political tensions between the two NATO allies. Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler in November 2024 said Germany had indicated it would relent and let the sale go forward.
Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo are partners in building the aircraft under the Eurofighter consortium, which also includes Italy, Spain and the UK.
“The Turkish agreement is a major boost for the British order book, representing the biggest fighter jet deal in almost 20 years and saving the Warton production line,” the UK government’s statement reads.
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It added that the sale will “also strengthen Turkey’s advanced combat capabilities, bolstering NATO’s strength in a key region and enhancing interoperability between both our air forces.”
In a separate statement, the Eurofighter consortium said that today’s deal is an important step to mark Turkey’s “entry as a partner nation in the Eurofighter community and the tenth nation to operate the Typhoon.”
“This new partnership further strengthens the Eurofighter programme’s position as the backbone of Europe’s air defence. It follows a series of recent orders from three of the four core Eurofighter nations: Germany (20 jets), Spain (25 jets) and Italy (up to 24 jets),” the statement added.
The announcement comes days after Erdoğan’s tour to the Arabian Gulf states where he said Turkey is also negotiating to procure used Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Oman and Qatar. Turkey aims to purchase dozens of Eurofighters and other advanced jets as a stopgap measure to strengthen its fleet until its domestically developed fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet becomes operational, and flies either with a locally made engine or with imported engines that also power the F-16 fighter.