The relationship between the United Kingdom and Türkiye has entered a new phase with one of the most comprehensive defence agreements of recent years. During Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s first official visit to Ankara, Türkiye and the United Kingdom signed an agreement for the purchase of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft. Valued at approximately £8 billion, the deal is regarded both as a critical step in modernising Türkiye’s air power and as one of London’s largest defence export successes in recent years.
The UK government announced that the agreement will safeguard roughly 20,000 jobs across the country. Production of the Typhoon aircraft will be led by BAE Systems at its Warton and Samlesbury facilities in Lancashire. In his remarks at the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Starmer said, “This landmark agreement with Türkiye is a win for British workers, a win for our defence industry, and a win for NATO security. 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.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described the agreement as “a new emblem of the strategic relationship between the United Kingdom and Türkiye.” Erdoğan emphasised that the two countries are entering a new era of mutually reinforcing cooperation in defence, technology and industry.
The Turkish Air Force faces an urgent requirement to modernise or replace its extensive but rapidly ageing F‑16 fleet. Türkiye’s procurement of the Russian S‑400 air defence system, which led to its removal from the F‑35 Joint Strike Fighter programme, created a critical gap in access to high‑end air superiority capability. That gap has made Eurofighter procurement necessary as a stopgap to sustain air superiority until the indigenous fifth‑generation solution, KAAN, enters service. The Eurofighter acquisition also functions as a strategic hedge against potential delays or restrictions in the expected F‑16 Block 70/ V upgrade pathway from the United States.
Türkiye plans to acquire a total of 44 Eurofighter Typhoons as a transitional 4.5‑generation training and operational capability through to 2030. Ankara intends to source the remaining 24 aircraft very likely from Oman and Qatar (12 used aircraft from each). Jets from Qatar and Oman are expected to be at Tranche 3A standard, while those procured from the United Kingdom will be at Tranche 4 standard.
According to a statement by Defence Minister Yaşar Güler, deliveries are expected to begin “at the start of next year.” This exceptionally rapid timeline underlines the operational urgency and supports the expectation that initial deliveries will consist of second‑hand aircraft from Qatar/Oman, with newly built UK aircraft joining the fleet in subsequent phases.
The Eurofighter Typhoon was originally designed for air superiority but has evolved into a highly capable multirole platform. The twin‑engine, supersonic, canard‑delta‑wing aircraft achieves a maximum speed of approximately 2,495 km/h and is capable of operations at altitudes up to 16,765 metres. Its high manoeuvrability and speed make it highly competitive against upgraded F‑16s and other 4.5‑generation platforms. The Typhoon measures 15.96 metres in length, has a wingspan of 10.95 metres and a height of 5.28 metres.
Although the Eurofighter is not a full‑spectrum stealth aircraft like the F‑35, it combines a low radar cross section (RCS) with advanced electronic countermeasures (ECM) to achieve high survivability. These systems are operationally essential for missions in contested air environments and are of critical importance to Türkiye. Advanced avionics complement the platform’s multirole capabilities and high manoeuvrability.
The Typhoon procurement will introduce advanced weapon systems into TuAF service that are not fielded across the current F‑16 fleet, significantly enhancing TuAF’s capability set. Air‑to‑air weapons include the AIM‑120 AMRAAM, AIM‑9 Sidewinder, IRIS‑T and, crucially for beyond‑visual‑range (BVR) combat, the Meteor missile. Integration of the Meteor will provide Türkiye with a marked advantage in BVR engagements. On the air‑to‑surface side, potential integration of advanced systems such as the Storm Shadow cruise missile, Brimstone and the Taurus KEPD 350 will deepen the fleet’s multirole employment. The aircraft are also fitted with the Mauser BK‑27 27 mm cannon as a standard onboard weapon.
An important operational and industrial element of this strategic procurement is the ability to integrate Turkish‑produced munitions onto a European platform. Türkiye plans to equip the Eurofighter Typhoon fleet with domestic munitions, including the SOM cruise missile and advanced air‑to‑air missiles Gökdoğan and Bozdoğan.
For Türkiye, the Eurofighter will not only rapidly restore operational capability but will also transfer vital technological knowledge and systems‑integration experience to the indigenous KAAN programme, supporting long‑term industrial objectives. The agreement also signals a multidimensional shift in Türkiye’s defence policy aimed at reducing dependence on the United States and single‑source suppliers, and at pursuing greater strategic autonomy.
