ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey and the United Kingdom signed a multibillion-dollar deal for the sale of 20 new EF-2000 Eurofighter Typhoon jets during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Ankara on Monday.
According to a press release shared by the U.K. government, the deal is worth up to £8 billion pounds (U.S. $10.7 billion), making it the biggest export deal in a generation. This is the first new order of U.K. Typhoons since 2017.
The deal will help sustain around 20,000 jobs in the U.K. The first delivery is expected to take place in 2030.
The details of the deal, including whether it includes any spare parts and/or weapons, were not disclosed in the release.
Starmer and U.K. Secretary of State for Defence John Healey spoke to Royal Air Force pilots in front of a Eurofighter jet in Turkey’s capital. Starmer said “at either ends of Europe, the U.K. and Turkey are vital to tackling the challenges of our time and this will allow our armed forces to work even closer.”
The new Eurofighter jets, which aim to rejuvenate the Turkish air force, will act as a stop gap until the domestically developed Kaan fighter is added to the country’s inventory.
Cem Devrim Yaylali is a Turkey correspondent for Defense News. He is a keen photographer of military ships and has a passion for writing about naval and defense issues. He was born in Paris, France, and resides in Istanbul, Turkey. He is married with one son.
