UK strikes deal for Turkey to buy 20 Eurofighter jets
Washington booted Ankara out of its F-35 fighter programme in 2019 over its purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defence system
Turkey signed a €9.1 billion deal to buy 20 Eurofighter jets during a visit to Ankara by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday.
Starmer landed at an air force base near Ankara, accompanied by UK defence minister John Healey and the head of Britain’s air force, Harv Smyth, who were welcomed by their Turkish counterparts, Turkey’s defence ministry said.
Turkey wants to modernise its air force and was hoping to finalise the purchase of 40 of the Europe-made fighter aircraft, which are jointly produced by Britain, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Instead, it was agreed that Turkey would buy 20 of the fighter jets, in what the British defence minister described as “the biggest jet exports deal in a generation.”
“Turkey and the Eurofighter is quite the saga,” said Aaron Stein, president of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, explaining that Ankara had turned down an offer to join the European consortium, focusing instead on the US fighter jet programme.
“Ankara was invited to join the consortium or become an equal member a few times but they chose the F-35,” he said.
After Washington booted Ankara out of its F-35 fighter programme in 2019 over its purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defence system, Turkey turned its attention to Europe.
Germany initially blocked the Eurofighter sale over Turkey’s stance on the Gaza war, but lifted its opposition in July, clearing the way for the sale to go ahead.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is to meet Erdoğan in Ankara on Thursday.
The first delivery is expected to take place in 2030.
(cp)
