Türkiye and Britain sign preliminary deal paving way for Eurofighter Typhoon jets

Türkiye and Britain have signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to allow Ankara to become a user of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, marking a step toward finalising a long-discussed deal for the aircraft, while Germany approved the delivery of 40 jets.

The preliminary agreement was signed during the 17th international defence industry fair (IDEF) in Istanbul.

"In this context, the memorandum of understanding I signed with my esteemed counterpart brings us one step closer to a comprehensive agreement on the Eurofighter Typhoon issue. We welcome this positive step toward our country's participation in the Eurofighter Typhoon Community. I would like to reiterate our shared determination to finalize the necessary arrangements as quickly as possible," Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler said at a signing ceremony in Istanbul.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey said the agreement reflected the two countries’ close defence ties.

"Türkiye and the UK are both non-European Union countries, major NATO nations, and this memorandum of understanding signifies a determination to deepen our relationship, to move towards a big new agreement on Typhoons and to welcome Türkiye into the Typhoon club," Healey said.

Türkiye has been in talks to purchase 40 of the jets, which are produced by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

Germany had also cleared the way for the delivery of 40 jets to Türkiye, following a positive decision by the federal security council, Spiegel magazine reported.

A German government spokesperson later confirmed the decision, saying: "I can only confirm that the Ministry of Defence has sent a written confirmation to the Turkish government confirming that the export has been approved." 

The agreement comes as Türkiye, a major NATO member, seeks to bolster its defences in an increasingly volatile region.

Ankara has leaned on both domestic defence industry projects, including locally produced jets, and foreign acquisitions to ramp up deterrence. It is also in talks with Washington to buy 40 F-16s.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week praised the German and British stance on the Eurofighter sale, which follows weeks of positive statements from Ankara and the consortium on the deal.

Britain said negotiations with Türkiye over the final sale will continue in the coming weeks.

The deal would be the first export order for Eurofighter jets since 2017, giving a new lease of life to the final assembly line at BAE’s factory in northern England.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the multi-billion dollar agreement would "sustain and protect 20,000 UK jobs for future years to come," while a BAE Systems official said last week the company was confident of winning new orders from other countries, including Türkiye.

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