British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday said London had reached an agreement to sell Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Ankara in a 10-year deal worth nearly $11 billion.
“This is a really significant deal, because it’s £8 billion ($10.7 billion) worth of orders… these are jobs that will last for 10 years, making the (Eurofighter) Typhoons, so really big for our country,” he said after holding talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.
Britain’s defence ministry said the order would involve 20 Eurofighters in what it described as the “biggest fighter jet deal in a generation”.
It said the agreement would strengthen Turkey’s combat capabilities and bolster “NATO’s strength in a key region”.
“This is the southeast flank of NATO, and so having that capability locked in with the United Kingdom is really important for NATO as well,” Starmer said in Ankara.
Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed a landmark defence agreement with London to buy 20 Eurofighter jets, describing the $11 billion deal as a new symbol of defence cooperation with Britain.
“We regard this.. as a new symbol of the strategic relations between our two close allies,” he said after signing the agreement with visiting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his presidential palace in Ankara.
Earlier in July, Germany announced its approval for the export of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey, resolving a long-standing delay caused by diplomatic frictions.
Turkey has been negotiating for several years to acquire 40 Eurofighter Typhoons, produced by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy, and Spain, with the UK leading the talks and manufacturing the jets. However, the sale required unanimous consent from all consortium members, and Germany had previously withheld approval due to disagreements with Turkey over Israel’s war in Gaza.
Germany’s defense ministry confirmed the breakthrough, with government spokesman Stefan Kornelius announcing to journalists in Berlin that it had “sent a written confirmation to the Turkish government confirming the approval of the export.”
The move followed reported pressure from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with Der Spiegel noting that Chancellor Friedrich Merz relented to support approximately 20,000 UK jobs tied to the project.
Hours after Germany’s approval, Turkish and British defense ministers formalized a preliminary agreement in Istanbul for the jet deliveries. Turkey’s defense ministry hailed the deal, stating it “will strengthen the decades-long friendship between key NATO allies and will be an important step towards enhancing Turkey’s advanced air combat capabilities.”
British Defence Secretary John Healey echoed the sentiment, saying the agreement would “strengthen NATO’s collective defence, and boost both our countries’ industrial bases by securing thousands of skilled jobs across the UK for years to come.”
Turkey’s pursuit of the Eurofighters began over two years ago, but tensions with Germany over Gaza stalled progress. Ankara has sharply criticized Israel’s military actions in the Palestinian territory, while Berlin, a steadfast Israeli ally, expressed limited concerns.
© Agence France-Presse
