Turkiye signs deal with the UK to buy 20 Eurofighter jets

Britain’s Keir Starmer and Turkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan met successful Ankara connected Monday to cement the astir $11bn agreement.

Turkiye has reached a woody with the United Kingdom to bargain 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets for astir $11bn, arsenic Ankara seeks to bolster its aerial defences portion it develops its ain fifth-generation KAAN combatant planes.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met successful Ankara connected Monday to motion the agreement.

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The UK’s Ministry of Defence described the determination arsenic the “biggest combatant pitchy woody successful a generation”, portion Erdogan hailed it arsenic “a caller awesome of the strategical relations” betwixt “two adjacent allies”.

Speaking successful Ankara, Starmer said the statement was besides a triumph for NATO, which counts the UK and Turkiye among its members.

“This is the southeast flank of NATO, and truthful having that capableness locked successful with the United Kingdom is truly important for NATO arsenic well,” the British premier curate said.

The archetypal Typhoons ordered nether Monday’s statement are expected to get successful Ankara successful 2030, according to Starmer.

Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon combatant jets alert connected the time of a subject parade to people the country’s National Day, successful Madrid, Spain, October 12, 2025 [File: Ana Beltran/Reuters]

In July, Turkiye and the UK signed a preliminary woody for the transportation of 40 Typhoons, a program approved by the different Eurofighter consortium members Germany, Italy and Spain.

Turkish officials person said Ankara wants to bargain 120 combatant jets to reenforce its fleet earlier its ain KAAN jets go operational.

As portion of efforts to span the spread with determination rivals specified arsenic Israel, the Turkish Ministry of Defence has said that it wants to bargain 12 much Typhoons apiece from Qatar and Oman.

Last year, Turkiye confirmed a $7bn woody with the United States for 40 F-16s, an bid that faces delays.

Erdogan has besides precocious spoken to his US counterpart Donald Trump astir the anticipation of re-entering the Washington-led F-35 combatant pitchy programme, which Turkiye was excluded from successful 2019 arsenic a effect of its acquisition of Russian-made S-400 rocket defence systems.

Starmer’s archetypal sojourn to Turkiye arsenic premier curate coincided with caller charges being brought against Ekrem Imamoglu, the jailed politician of Istanbul, who is seen arsenic Erdogan’s main governmental rival.

On Monday, Turkish prosecutors accused Imamoglu, who was arrested successful March implicit alleged corruption, of engagement successful “espionage” activities. He vehemently denies immoderate wrongdoing, claiming that the charges against him are politically motivated.