The United Kingdom has finalised an £8 billion agreement to supply Turkey with 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets – the largest British fighter export in almost two decades.
During his first official visit to Ankara as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer described the deal as “a win for British workers, a win for our defence industry, and a win for NATO security.”
The landmark contract will sustain more than 6,000 jobs at BAE Systems facilities in Lancashire, alongside hundreds more in the South West and Scotland. About 37 per cent of each aircraft’s production will take place in the UK, with final assembly at BAE’s Warton and Samlesbury sites.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the deal “a new symbol of the strategic relations” between the two nations.
The agreement forms part of broader efforts to deepen defence and economic cooperation between Britain and Turkey, strengthening NATO’s south-eastern flank.
The Defence Secretary, John Healey, hailed it as “the biggest jet export deal in a generation,” saying it would inject billions into the economy and keep Typhoon production lines active for years.
BAE Systems’ Chief Executive, Charles Woodburn, added that the partnership marks “a new chapter in a longstanding relationship with an important NATO ally.”
Under the agreement, the first jets are expected to be delivered to the Turkish Air Force by 2030, with an option for additional orders in future.
Source: BBC News
