UK and Türkiye sign £8bn deal for 20 Eurofighter Typhoons with first deliveries in 2030
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The United Kingdom and Türkiye have signed an £8 billion agreement for 20 Eurofighter Typhoons, with first deliveries expected by 2030. The deal strengthens NATO’s southern air defense and marks a major milestone in Ankara’s effort to modernize its fighter fleet ahead of the TF-X’s rollout.
On 27 October 2025, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Ankara for high-level talks. During the visit, he met Turkish officials at TUSAŞ, where he received a briefing on the indigenous KAAN program, and three RAF Eurofighter Typhoons were observed arriving in Türkiye ahead of his meeting with President Erdoğan. Most significantly, the UK Government announced the signing of a deal worth up to £8 billion for 20 Eurofighter Typhoons for Türkiye, securing around 20,000 UK jobs with a 37% UK workshare and first deliveries expected in 2030, according to an official press release published on 27 October 2025. This agreement, described as the biggest UK fighter-jet export in nearly two decades, also highlights production lines in Edinburgh, Warton, Samlesbury and Bristol.
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Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role fighters set to join Türkiye as UK and Türkiye seal a £8bn, 20-jet deal, with first deliveries from 2030 (Picture Source: Royal British Air Force)
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, multi-role “swing-role” fighter designed by a UK-Germany-Italy-Spain consortium and represented by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. Its later Tranche 3A and Tranche 4 standards add the Captor-E AESA radar, expanded weapons integration and upgraded mission systems, enabling simultaneous air-to-air and deep-strike missions with modern stand-off munitions. For the Turkish Air Force, the type offers a mature platform with high readiness rates, robust electronic warfare suites and interoperability inside NATO air policing, QRA and expeditionary tasking.
In July 2025, London and Ankara signed a preliminary accord enabling Türkiye to operate Typhoons, after Berlin’s federal security council cleared export permissions, an essential step given Germany’s role in the consortium. Subsequent reporting had detailed Ankara’s proposal to compress timelines by combining new-build aircraft with a first batch of pre-owned Typhoons sourced from Qatar and Oman. With today’s announcement, the UK and Türkiye have formally concluded an initial package for 20 new-build aircraft, while any additional lots or potential second-hand sourcing remain a matter of future policy and negotiation.
Türkiye’s fleet recapitalization has been stretched by programmatic delays and shifting export dynamics. Typhoon offers near-term sensor, EW and weapon effects that close the capability gap in beyond-visual-range interception, precision strike and 24/7 QRA coverage—missions where aging airframes impose increasingly high maintenance costs and lower sortie generation. Crucially, Typhoon’s AESA radar and data-fusion pipeline restore an overmatch against legacy fourth-generation adversaries and limit exposure to advanced SAM/GBAD environments when paired with stand-off weapons. This “bridge” is calibrated to carry the force toward KAAN’s initial operational capability, which Turkish officials and recent reporting place around the late-decade timeframe, often cited as circa 2028 for meaningful milestones.
Beyond the UK-led new-build tranche, Ankara has explored second-hand Typhoons from Qatar and Oman to compress conversion timelines, seed training pipelines and stand up supply-chain depth for spares and engines. Earlier configuration mixes under review prioritized Tranche 3A airframes with AESA radars from Gulf stocks, while Tranche 4 aircraft from the UK would follow on a scheduled ramp. With the signed 20-jet agreement now in place, Turkish authorities may still consider scaling beyond the initial package as operational needs and financing permit.
A UK-anchored Typhoon deal deepens an already dense industrial and operational relationship, signaling a pragmatic division of labor inside NATO: Britain brings airpower capacity and industrial access; Türkiye brings geography, mass and operational tempo along the Alliance’s southeastern rim. Politically, the optics of a prime-ministerial visit tied to a concrete capability uplift underscore London’s intent to remain a top-tier European security actor post-Brexit while reaffirming Ankara’s integration with Western supply chains. Regionally, the move advertises a fast-track answer to the widening qualitative gap with Israel and to Greece’s Rafale/F-16V upgrades, while deterring opportunistic coercion along the Eastern Mediterranean. For NATO air planners, a refreshed Turkish fighter wing adds surge capacity for Baltic-to-Levant air policing, maritime strike along key chokepoints, and integrated air and missile defense exercises with southern flank allies.
Officially, the UK Government confirmed on 27 October 2025 the signature of a deal for 20 Typhoons with first deliveries expected in 2030 and a 37% UK workshare; the announcement accompanied Prime Minister Starmer’s Ankara visit and meetings with Turkish counterparts and pilots. Further expansion beyond the initial 20 aircraft remains possible but unconfirmed at this stage.
If executed on the above trajectory, Türkiye could field an initial Typhoon unit as deliveries begin from 2030, accelerating pilot conversion and maintenance training while building the logistical backbone before later Tranche 4 arrivals. This inserts a credible tier-one air-to-air and strike capability back into the rotation, buys time for KAAN’s testing, weapons integration, and software spiral development, and reduces pressure on the F-16 fleet. It also hedges against schedule risk in any U.S. F-16/F-35 pathways by locking in a European line with predictable industrial support.
Today’s Ankara talks therefore culminated not merely in negotiations but in a signed initial purchase that shores up NATO’s southern flank and gives KAAN the development runway it needs without leaving operational gaps. With the political green lights secured and consortium processes aligned, the Eurofighter becomes the bridge that stabilizes Türkiye’s air posture for the second half of the decade.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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The United Kingdom and Türkiye have signed an £8 billion agreement for 20 Eurofighter Typhoons, with first deliveries expected by 2030. The deal strengthens NATO’s southern air defense and marks a major milestone in Ankara’s effort to modernize its fighter fleet ahead of the TF-X’s rollout.
On 27 October 2025, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Ankara for high-level talks. During the visit, he met Turkish officials at TUSAŞ, where he received a briefing on the indigenous KAAN program, and three RAF Eurofighter Typhoons were observed arriving in Türkiye ahead of his meeting with President Erdoğan. Most significantly, the UK Government announced the signing of a deal worth up to £8 billion for 20 Eurofighter Typhoons for Türkiye, securing around 20,000 UK jobs with a 37% UK workshare and first deliveries expected in 2030, according to an official press release published on 27 October 2025. This agreement, described as the biggest UK fighter-jet export in nearly two decades, also highlights production lines in Edinburgh, Warton, Samlesbury and Bristol.
Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role fighters set to join Türkiye as UK and Türkiye seal a £8bn, 20-jet deal, with first deliveries from 2030 (Picture Source: Royal British Air Force)
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, multi-role “swing-role” fighter designed by a UK-Germany-Italy-Spain consortium and represented by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. Its later Tranche 3A and Tranche 4 standards add the Captor-E AESA radar, expanded weapons integration and upgraded mission systems, enabling simultaneous air-to-air and deep-strike missions with modern stand-off munitions. For the Turkish Air Force, the type offers a mature platform with high readiness rates, robust electronic warfare suites and interoperability inside NATO air policing, QRA and expeditionary tasking.
In July 2025, London and Ankara signed a preliminary accord enabling Türkiye to operate Typhoons, after Berlin’s federal security council cleared export permissions, an essential step given Germany’s role in the consortium. Subsequent reporting had detailed Ankara’s proposal to compress timelines by combining new-build aircraft with a first batch of pre-owned Typhoons sourced from Qatar and Oman. With today’s announcement, the UK and Türkiye have formally concluded an initial package for 20 new-build aircraft, while any additional lots or potential second-hand sourcing remain a matter of future policy and negotiation.
Türkiye’s fleet recapitalization has been stretched by programmatic delays and shifting export dynamics. Typhoon offers near-term sensor, EW and weapon effects that close the capability gap in beyond-visual-range interception, precision strike and 24/7 QRA coverage—missions where aging airframes impose increasingly high maintenance costs and lower sortie generation. Crucially, Typhoon’s AESA radar and data-fusion pipeline restore an overmatch against legacy fourth-generation adversaries and limit exposure to advanced SAM/GBAD environments when paired with stand-off weapons. This “bridge” is calibrated to carry the force toward KAAN’s initial operational capability, which Turkish officials and recent reporting place around the late-decade timeframe, often cited as circa 2028 for meaningful milestones.
Beyond the UK-led new-build tranche, Ankara has explored second-hand Typhoons from Qatar and Oman to compress conversion timelines, seed training pipelines and stand up supply-chain depth for spares and engines. Earlier configuration mixes under review prioritized Tranche 3A airframes with AESA radars from Gulf stocks, while Tranche 4 aircraft from the UK would follow on a scheduled ramp. With the signed 20-jet agreement now in place, Turkish authorities may still consider scaling beyond the initial package as operational needs and financing permit.
A UK-anchored Typhoon deal deepens an already dense industrial and operational relationship, signaling a pragmatic division of labor inside NATO: Britain brings airpower capacity and industrial access; Türkiye brings geography, mass and operational tempo along the Alliance’s southeastern rim. Politically, the optics of a prime-ministerial visit tied to a concrete capability uplift underscore London’s intent to remain a top-tier European security actor post-Brexit while reaffirming Ankara’s integration with Western supply chains. Regionally, the move advertises a fast-track answer to the widening qualitative gap with Israel and to Greece’s Rafale/F-16V upgrades, while deterring opportunistic coercion along the Eastern Mediterranean. For NATO air planners, a refreshed Turkish fighter wing adds surge capacity for Baltic-to-Levant air policing, maritime strike along key chokepoints, and integrated air and missile defense exercises with southern flank allies.
Officially, the UK Government confirmed on 27 October 2025 the signature of a deal for 20 Typhoons with first deliveries expected in 2030 and a 37% UK workshare; the announcement accompanied Prime Minister Starmer’s Ankara visit and meetings with Turkish counterparts and pilots. Further expansion beyond the initial 20 aircraft remains possible but unconfirmed at this stage.
If executed on the above trajectory, Türkiye could field an initial Typhoon unit as deliveries begin from 2030, accelerating pilot conversion and maintenance training while building the logistical backbone before later Tranche 4 arrivals. This inserts a credible tier-one air-to-air and strike capability back into the rotation, buys time for KAAN’s testing, weapons integration, and software spiral development, and reduces pressure on the F-16 fleet. It also hedges against schedule risk in any U.S. F-16/F-35 pathways by locking in a European line with predictable industrial support.
Today’s Ankara talks therefore culminated not merely in negotiations but in a signed initial purchase that shores up NATO’s southern flank and gives KAAN the development runway it needs without leaving operational gaps. With the political green lights secured and consortium processes aligned, the Eurofighter becomes the bridge that stabilizes Türkiye’s air posture for the second half of the decade.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
