NATO allies the United Kingdom and Türkiye have signed a Statement of Intent on defence co-operation that could see closer collaboration in military aerospace technology or even fighter sales.
The statement was signed on 23 November 2023 in the Turkish capital, Ankara, by UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Turkish Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler.
According to a press release from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 23 November, the accord “will see closer collaboration between both countries’ defence industries, the identification of possible joint training exercises in the Mediterranean, and the exploration of security support around North Africa and the Middle East”.
The two defence ministers were reported to have discussed the need for de-escalation in the Israel/Gaza conflict, while Shapps thanked his counterpart for using Türkiye’s influence as the gatekeeper to the Black Sea to enable the export of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain. The MoD reported there was “strong agreement on the need to keep focused on our collective support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s continuing aggression”. Shapps was also said to have thanked Güler for the progress made on Sweden’s accession to NATO, which Türkiye has previously opposed over assertions that Sweden harboured individuals it considered terrorists.
At a joint press conference following the signing of the statement, Güler is reported to have called the UK “an important ally and strategic partner for Türkiye” and said he and Shapps had “expressed mutual commitment to further strengthen our bilateral military co-operation”.
Interestingly, however, Güler added, “We aim to enhance our existing collaboration with the UK in various areas, including our national combat aircraft, [the Turkish Aerospace] Kaan, and explore new opportunities such as the development of co-operation in new areas such as Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.”
BAE Systems has previously assisted with Turkish Aerospace with the Kaan future fighter programme, while the UK’s Rolls-Royce is part of a consortium bidding to provide the aircraft with an indigenously sourced powerplant, as the prototype is powered by a US General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan.
Meanwhile, Türkiye has shown an interest in acquiring latest-variant Typhoons after sensing that its October 2021 request to the US government for 40 new Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters, along with 79 modification kits for the F-16s it already operates, might run into trouble.
That said, those Turkish fears were predicated substantially on Türkiye’s blocking of Sweden’s accession to NATO, which no longer appears to be a problem.
Nevertheless, Türkiye needs to refresh its fighter fleet after being removed from the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme in July 2019 for not reversing its decision to buy the Russian S-400 air defence system.
Although the prototype of Türkiye’s Kaan future fighter is likely to make its maiden flight by the end of this year for reasons of national prestige (2023 is the centenary of the founding of modern Türkiye), it will be a several years before the aircraft is ready for production.
