Türkiye to purchase Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets instead of U.S. F-35s

Turkey has signed an agreement with the United Kingdom to purchase 20 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets for 8 billion pounds ($10.7 billion), according to the office of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is currently visiting Ankara.

According to the statement, this is the first contract since 2017 for the purchase of UK-made fighter jets. The PM’s office emphasized that the deal will support 20,000 jobs in the UK.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that the implementation arrangements for the procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets were signed during interdelegation meetings.

"I see this agreement as a new symbol of the strategic relations between our two close allies. I believe this cooperation with the United Kingdom will also pave the way for joint projects in the defense industry,” Erdogan said.

It was noted this is the biggest jet exports deal in a generation.

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said that Turkey plans to source the remaining 24 jets from Oman and Qatar, with 12 used aircraft from each country.