The UK has signed a deal with Türkiye worth up to GBP 8 billion (EUR 9.6 billion) to supply Ankara with 20 Eurofighter Typhoons.
The multi-billion pound deal – the first new order for UK-built Typhoon fighters since 2017 – was signed as UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on 27 October 2025.
The final signing of the deal followed the UK and Turkish governments signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the IDEF 2025 defence exhibition in Istanbul on 23 July 2025 that brought the sale of Typhoons to Turkey a significant step closer.
While Türkiye had expressed an interest in acquiring around 40 Typhoons for some time, the previous government in Germany, as one of the Eurofighter nations along with the UK, Spain and Italy, had resisted such a sale. However, the current German government, which came to power in February 2025, gave a green light for the exporting of Typhoons to Türkiye on 23 July following a positive decision by its Federal Security Council.
According to reporting by Turkish military news website TurDef.com, Turkish Minister of National Defence Yaşar Güler explained that the 20 new-build Typhoons will be supplemented by 12 second-hand Typhoons from Oman and another 12 from Qatar to give Türkiye a 44-strong Typhoon fleet. Güler said that the Omani aircraft will undergo maintenance prior to delivery, while the Qatari Typhoons are expected to arrive in early 2026. Given that the first delivery of new-build Typhoons to Türkiye is not expected to take place before 2030, this will bolster the Turkish Air Force well in advance of the indigenously developed Turkish Aerospace Kaan fifth-generation fighter entering Turkish service in significant numbers in the 2030s.
Given that the UK is the lead Eurofighter export nation for Türkiye and secured the Typhoon deals for Qatar and Oman, TurDef.com noted it was therefore likely that Starmer and Erdogan actually signed three subcontracts in Ankara.
While the new-build Typhoons from the UK are expected to be Tranche 5 aircraft equipped with the cutting-edge European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 active electronically scanned-array (AESA) radar, the Qatari Tranche 3A Typhoons feature the less capable ECRS Mk0 AESA radar, while the Omani Tranche 3A Typhoons are equipped with the older CAPTOR-M Doppler radar, which has a mechanically scanned antenna.
A press release published by the UK Prime Minister’s Office and UK Ministry of Defence on 27 October 2025 claimed that the Turkish Typhoon contract is the biggest UK fighter deal in almost 20 years and will help to sustain 20,000 British defence jobs, including securing BAE Systems’ production line in Warton.
“This landmark agreement with Türkiye is a win for British workers, a win for our defence industry, and a win for NATO security,” Starmer was quoted as saying. “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.”
UK Defence Secretary John Healey, who travelled with Starmer to Ankara to finalise the deal, stated, “This is another major export deal for the UK and is the biggest jet exports deal in a generation. It will pump billions of pounds into our economy and keep British Typhoon production lines turning long into the future. This deal goes far beyond the procurement of aircraft. It is the leading edge of the growing defence and industrial partnership between our two nations.
“Türkiye is an important NATO ally and the gatekeeper to the Black Sea. By equipping them with top-of-the-range Typhoon fighter jets, this deal will strengthen NATO deterrence and help make us all safer, Healey said, adding, “I’m determined this government will make defence an engine for growth across the UK.”
The workshare agreement among the Eurofighter nations sees around 37% of each aircraft manufactured in the UK. According to the MoD, the Turkish order will sustain:
- nearly 6,000 jobs directly supporting the Typhoon programme at BAE Systems’ sites in Warton and Samlesbury, where production and final assembly of each Typhoon takes place;
- more than 1,100 jobs in the UK’s southwest region, including at Rolls-Royce’s site in Bristol, which produces critical modules and components for the Typhoon’s EJ200 jet engines and acts as a main hub for engine maintenance;
- more than 800 jobs in Scotland, including Leonardo’s site in Edinburgh that manufactures the Typhoon’s cutting-edge European Common Radar System Mk2 radar.
