Turkey has concluded a defence deal with the UK to provide long-term support for the maintenance and operation of Eurofighter Typhoon, Turkey’s defence ministry announced on 25 March. The aim: to ensure the full operational capability of these fighter jets over the next few years, following the agreement signed last year with London to acquire 20 Eurofighter fighters.
Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and his British counterpart, John Healey, signed the contract within the framework of the Eurofighter project, which includes technical and logistical support for the maintenance and operation of the aircraft over the coming years. During the meeting in London, the two ministers also discussed a number of issues related to defence cooperation, which the two countries are seeking to strengthen, Turkish media reported.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Defence, the contract for the procurement of Eurofighter aircraft, equipment and ammunition was signed in October 2025 during the visit of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Ankara; now, an agreement on the maintenance and operation of Eurofighter Typhoons has been formalised. During the signing of the deal, both governments also made public their intention to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation in the coming years.
The deal Türkiye signed last year with the UK for the purchase of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters is valued at £8 billion (more than €9.2 billion). Ankara’s additional plans also include the acquisition of 12 aircraft from the Royal Air Force of Oman and another 12 currently in service with the Qatar Air Force.
Turkey could return to the F-35 programme
The Eurofighter combat aircraft is produced by an European consortium comprising Britain’s BAE Systems, Airbus and Italy’s Leonardo. The UK, a key partner in the programme, has been one of Turkey’s main supporters, and the deal signed last October came after months of tough negotiations and after Ankara managed to overcome a veto imposed by Germany – one of the most important members of the Eurofighter consortium – in 2024.
Turkey’s interest in the Typhoon dates back years but became official in 2022, due to the obstacles the Turkish government was facing in negotiations with the US to acquire 40 F-16 fighters. By the end of 2024, Ankara managed to reach a $7 billion deal with Washington for the purchase of these fighter jets, but talks have since stalled due to Turkey’s concerns over the price and its renewed interest in returning to the F-35 programme.
Turkey was excluded from the US-led F-35 programme in 2019 after acquiring the Russian S-400 air defence system. Since that veto, which Ankara has always considered unfair, Türkiye has sought to return to the programme, something it hopes to achieve during Donald Trump‘s second term in office given its good relations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Precisely, and following the meeting between the latter and Trump in September during Erdoğan’s official visit to the US, the US president recently stated that the United States is “very seriously” considering the sale of the F-35 to Turkey.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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