Turkey and UK sign £8 billion deal for 20 Eurofighter jets
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan shake hands on the Eurofighter jets deal. (via AFP)
Turkey and UK confirmed a deal to purchase 20 new Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the UK for controversially high price of 8 billion pounds (about $10.7 billion), according to Reuters on 27th October.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed the deal with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on his first visit to Turkey after becoming prime minister, deepening ties between NATO nations. European nations want to strengthen their eastern border and support Ukraine’s possible post-war stabilisation with Turkey’s help.
The £8 billion agreement also includes “a comprehensive weapons package, including MBDA Meteor air-to-air missiles and Brimstone ground attack missiles”, Reuters reported on October 29th.
Turkey has said they are seeking 24 more jets through the Gulf states; 12 from Oman and Qatar, respectively. The deal, which has been called “outrageously high” by defence experts, comes at a time when Turkey seeks to strengthen its defence in light of the Israeli attacks in the Middle East this year.
The two countries had signed a preliminary deal in July to buy 40 Typhoon jets, with approval from the Eurofighter consortium members Germany, Italy, and Spain, represented by Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo. For years, Berlin delayed the sale, citing concerns about Ankara’s human rights record and its regional policies.
To cover the period before its domestic production of KAAN fighters, Turkey also secured a $7‑billion deal last year with the U.S. for 40 F‑16s, though their delivery has been delayed. Since 2023, Turkey has pursued these aircraft to strengthen its air force in a region where Israel has the most advanced F-15, F-16, and F-35 fighters supplied by the USA.
As countries around the region try to tighten security, a proposed NATO-style alliance between Arab states has recently failed as the proposal to form an “Arab Defence Force” was blocked by Qatar and the UAE. The disagreement over involving Turkey and Iran further collapsed the proposal, yet Turkey managed to conduct joint military exercises with Egypt, which they said were due to “shared concerns over Israeli actions in the region”.
Reuters, Maghrebi.org
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