UK and Türkiye seal long-awaited Eurofighter Typhoon jet deal

According to a source familiar with the decision, the agreement was reached after the German Security Council approved a request for 40 Eurofighter jets. According to the source, Türkiye has assured that it will use the planes only in solidarity with NATO, i.e., not against another member of the alliance.

The multi-billion dollar defense deal has been delayed for a long time due to political tensions between Ankara and its NATO allies. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the British government, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis were informed of the decision, the source said.

Earlier, the German Security Council had blocked the sale due to tensions between Türkiye and neighboring Greece.

The approval is a sign of growing defense cooperation between Türkiye and its Western allies as Europe seeks to bolster its defense industry in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 while reducing its dependence on the United States. In addition to the Eurofighter deal, Ankara is also seeking US approval for the purchase of new F-16 and F-35 fighter jets.

The financial terms of the deal are still unclear. Türkiye received an initial price offer this year, and Bloomberg previously reported that Ankara had requested at least 20 aircraft worth about 5 billion euros.

Eurofighter Typhoon

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a fourth-generation multi-role fighter aircraft. Its development began in 1983 as part of the international Future European Fighter Aircraft program.

The Eurofighter is a joint project of the British company BAE Systems Plc, Airbus SE, and Italian Leonardo SpA. The aircraft will be manufactured in the UK using components supplied from Germany.

In 1994, the prototype flew, and the aircraft began to enter service in the 2000s. A total of 586 aircraft have been produced, each costing approximately $120 million. The Typhoon is in service with the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Saudi Arabia.