Türkiye joins Eurofighter program with major UK defence deal
Ankara could receive Typhoon fighters from Qatar and Oman first as a temporary measure.
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The United Kingdom and Türkiye signed on Monday a contract valued at up to £8 billion (approximately $10.2 billion) for the acquisition of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighters — the largest British combat aircraft export deal in a generation. The signing ceremony took place in Ankara during the official visit of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Palace.
According to the joint statement from 10 Downing Street and the UK Ministry of Defence, the agreement includes a comprehensive weapons and integration package led by BAE Systems and MBDA, and will sustain over 20,000 skilled jobs in the United Kingdom, primarily in Warton, Samlesbury, Bristol, and Edinburgh. It also marks the first new Typhoon production order since 2017, extending the British final assembly line well into the next decade.
A long-awaited reinforcement
With this agreement, Türkiye becomes the tenth operator of the Eurofighter Typhoon, joining the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar.
The acquisition aims to strengthen Ankara’s air combat capabilities, currently based on its F-16C/D fleet, amid a broader modernization effort that includes the domestic TF-X KAAN fighter and advanced unmanned platforms such as the ANKA-3 stealth drone.
During the visit, Starmer and UK Defence Secretary John Healey toured TUSAŞ (Turkish Aerospace Industries) facilities, where they received a briefing on the KAAN program and witnessed a presentation of the ANKA-3, displayed with its internal weapons bays open. Three Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon jets took part in the ceremony at Mürted Air Base, underscoring the growing operational cooperation between the two air forces.
“The deal with Türkiye is a win for British workers, for our defence industry, and for NATO security,”
said Prime Minister Starmer.
“At opposite ends of Europe, the UK and Türkiye are essential partners in facing today’s challenges, and this partnership will allow our armed forces to work even more closely together.”
Production, integration, and delivery
The contract provides for BAE Systems to produce the main structural components and conduct final assembly at its Lancashire facilities, while also leading systems and weapons integration.
The MBDA-supplied weapons package will include the Meteor beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile.
Initial deliveries to Türkiye are expected by 2030, ensuring continuity for the Eurofighter industrial program and preserving key sovereign capabilities within the UK defence sector.
Charles Woodburn, CEO of BAE Systems, described the deal as “the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship with a strategic NATO ally,” emphasizing that “the Typhoon is an export success and a cornerstone of European and Middle Eastern airpower.”
Transfers from Qatar and Oman: a transitional solution
Sources close to the program have indicated that while production of the 20 new Typhoons begins, Türkiye is assessing the possibility of temporarily incorporating aircraft from existing regional operators, particularly Qatar and Oman, whose fleets could be transferred in the coming years under an arrangement yet to be defined.
Such an option would accelerate the entry into service of the Eurofighter system within the Turkish Air Force, narrowing the gap until the arrival of newly built aircraft.
Ankara could later upgrade those airframes to Tranche 4 standard, or replace them with new units once the British production line reaches full output toward the next decade.
This operation would complement Türkiye’s broader effort to restore long-range air-to-air combat capability, especially after its exclusion from the F-35 program in 2019, helping bridge the capability gap while the KAAN fifth-generation fighter continues development.
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