On October 27, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK had signed an agreement with President Recep Tayyip Putin on selling Eurofighter fighter jets to Turkey. The 10-year deal is worth nearly $11 billion.
Speaking in Turkey, Prime Minister Starmer stressed the dual importance of this deal.
In terms of finances, he said this is a huge contract worth nearly 11 billion USD, ensuring a stable job for 10 years for the British defense industry in the production of Typhoon fighters. He called it a "really big success for England".
On security, Mr. Starmer affirmed that this agreement is also a "push" for the security of the entire NATO bloc. According to him, Turkey, an important NATO ally, possessing modern air defense capabilities from the UK is really important for NATO.
The British Ministry of National Defense confirmed the order including 20 Eurofighter fighter jets. In July, Turkey and the UK signed a preliminary agreement for the plane. The Eurofighter Typhoon is produced by a consortium of UK, Germany, Italy and Spain, led by British consortium BAE Systems.
The final deal was signed after it was reported that Germany had decided to lift a long-standing opposition to selling the fighter jets to Turkey. Germany has previously blocked the deal due to concerns about Turkey's human rights records and foreign policy. Germany's change of stance is seen as a step to heal relations with Turkey, an important NATO ally.
For Turkey, the purchase of the Eurofighter and other advanced fighter jets is seen as a temporary solution until the self-developed fifth-generation of KAAN fighters come into operation, expected no earlier than 2028.
The country is also looking to return to the US-led F-35 fighter program. Turkey was excluded from the program in 2019 for purchasing a Russian-made S-400 missile defense system, which was seen as a security risk to the F-35 program. President Putin raised the F-35 issue during a recent meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Turkish officials said the country wants to buy a total of 120 fighter jets: 40 Eurofighters, 40 US-made F-16s and 40 F-35s - as a transitional squadron before KAAN went into operation. The deal with England is the first step in this ambitious plan.
