Turkey signs $10.7 billion deal with UK for 20 Eurofighter jets

Editor’s note: This report has been updated.

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.

Under the agreement, BAE Systems will manufacture major airframe components, conduct the final assembly of the aircraft and lead weapons integration at its facilities in Lancashire, generating work for hundreds of companies across the U.K. supply chain. The weapons package will be primarily supplied by MBDA.

The deal will make the Turkish air force the 10th operator of the Eurofighter Typhoon, underscoring the aircraft’s ongoing role in international air defense. The package includes the MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. BAE Systems anticipates recognizing approximately £4.6 billion pounds in revenue from the program, including its shareholding in MBDA.

Following a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Starmer at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler told reporters that Turkey also plans to acquire 12 Eurofighter Typhoons each from Qatar and Oman, with the aircraft from Qatar expected to arrive early next year.

As part of Starmer’s visit, three Royal Air Force Eurofighter jets flew to Turkey. Upon entering Turkish airspace, they were met by Turkish F-16s and escorted to Ankara Mürted Air Base Command. Starmer and U.K. Secretary of State for Defence John Healey met RAF pilots in front of a Eurofighter aircraft at the base.

“At either end of Europe, the UK and Turkey are vital to tackling the challenges of our time, and this deal will allow our armed forces to work even closer together,” Starmer said.

Turkey’s acquisition of 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.

编者按：本报告已更新。

土耳其安卡拉——周一，在英国首相基尔·斯塔默访问安卡拉期间，土耳其和英国签署了一项价值数十亿美元的协议，向土耳其出售20架新的EF-2000“台风”战斗机。

根据英国政府发布的新闻稿，这笔交易价值高达80亿英镑（约合107亿美元），是近几十年来最大的出口交易。这也是英国自2017年以来首次订购新的“台风”战斗机。

该协议将有助于维持英国约 20,000 个就业岗位。首批货物预计将于 2030 年交付。

根据协议，BAE系统公司将在其位于兰开夏郡的工厂生产主要机身部件，进行飞机总装，并主导武器集成工作，这将为英国供应链上的数百家公司创造就业机会。武器系统将主要由MBDA公司供应。

该协议将使土耳其空军成为第十个装备欧洲台风战斗机的用户，凸显了该型战机在国际防空领域持续发挥的作用。该方案还包括MBDA公司的“流星”超视距空空导弹。英国航空航天系统公司（BAE Systems）预计将从该项目中获得约46亿英镑的收入，其中包括其持有的MBDA股份收入。

在土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安与斯塔默在安卡拉总统府会晤后，土耳其国防部长亚沙尔·居莱尔告诉记者，土耳其还计划从卡塔尔和阿曼各购买 12 架欧洲台风战斗机，预计卡塔尔的飞机将于明年初交付。

作为斯塔默访问行程的一部分，三架英国皇家空军的台风战斗机飞往土耳其。进入土耳其领空后，它们受到土耳其F-16战斗机的迎接，并被护送至安卡拉穆尔泰德空军基地司令部。斯塔默和英国国防大臣约翰·希利在基地的一架台风战斗机前会见了英国皇家空军飞行员。

“无论在欧洲的哪个角落，英国和土耳其对于应对我们这个时代的挑战都至关重要，这项协议将使我们的武装部队能够更加紧密地合作，”斯塔默说。

土耳其采购新型欧洲战斗机旨在重振土耳其空军，但这只能起到权宜之计，直到国产卡安战斗机加入该国的装备序列为止。

杰姆·德夫里姆·亚伊拉利是《防务新闻》驻土耳其记者。他热衷于拍摄军舰，并对海军和国防议题充满热情。他出生于法国巴黎，现居土耳其伊斯坦布尔。他已婚，育有一子。