Türkiye, UK sign biggest fighter jets deal in a generation
Türkiye Monday October 27, 2025 agreed to buy 20 Typhoon fighter jets from the United Kingdom in a deal considered the biggest in a generation
London/Ankara: Türkiye Monday October 27, 2025 agreed to buy 20 Typhoon fighter jets from the United Kingdom in a deal considered the biggest in a generation.
The Türkiye, UK Typhoon fighter jets deal worth £8 billion has also secured 20,000 jobs in UK, the government said in a statement.
The deal will also strengthen Türkiye’s advanced combat capabilities, bolstering NATO’s strength in a key region and enhancing interoperability between both our air forces. Turkey and UK both are members of NATO, short for North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“A win-win-situation”
The multi-billion pound deal was signed during UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s first visit to Ankara Monday.
Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was present with Starmer when the historic deal was signed between the two countries.
“This landmark agreement with Türkiye is a win for British workers, a win for our defence industry, and a win for NATO security”, Keir Starmer said.
“At either ends of Europe, the UK and Türkiye are vital to tackling the challenges of our time and this will allow our Armed Forces to work even closer together as we deter threats and protect our national interests”, he added.
The deal comes just weeks after the UK’s Type 26 frigates were selected by Norway, adding a further £10 billion to Britain’s economy and securing 4,000 jobs.
Both deals underline the government’s work to make defence an engine for growth, delivering highly skilled jobs and putting money in the pockets of working people through the Plan for Change.
The deal also follows UK Keir Starmer Premier and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signing a new agreement in July to boost world-class UK defence exports such as Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon, the government said.
Typhoon Jobs at a Glance
The Typhoon workshare agreement sees more than a third (37%) of each aircraft manufactured in the UK; the rest of each aircraft would be produced by the Eurofighter Partner Nations. The UK jobs include:
- Nearly 6,000 jobs directly support the Typhoon programme at BAE Systems sites in Warton and Samlesbury, where production and final assembly of each Typhoon fighter jet takes place.
- The Typhoon programme supports more than 1,100 jobs in the South West region. That includes Rolls-Royce in Bristol producing critical modules and components for Typhoon’s EJ200 jet engines and acting as main hub for maintenance of the engines.
- The Typhoon programme supports more than 800 jobs in Scotland. That includes Leonardo in Edinburgh manufacturing the fighter jet’s cutting-edge radar for identifying enemies.
“Türkiye is an important NATO ally and the gatekeeper to the Black Sea. By equipping them with top-of-the-range Typhoon fighter jets, this deal will strengthen NATO deterrence and help make us all safer”, Defence Secretary John Healey, who travelled with the Prime Minister to Ankara to finalise the deal, said.
The first delivery of the jets to Türkiye is expected to take place in 2030.
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