Türkiye throws a lifeline to UK Eurofighter Typhoon production with MoU for 40 fighter jets
July 23, 2025
Türkiye has finally been unblocked from ordering Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets for its armed forces, as a full memorandum of understanding has been signed to accept the nation as a Typhoon operator.
Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Güler and UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey signed the memorandum of understanding at the IDEF defence expo in Istanbul.
“This document codifies the relationship between the countries, taking them one step closer to a full agreement on Typhoon,” says Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defence. “Both Ministers welcome signature as a positive step towards bringing Türkiye into the Typhoon club and share a mutual ambition to conclude the necessary arrangements as soon as possible.”
The agreement paves the way for contract negotiations to begin, with a deal expected later in the year. Türkiye is expected to order up to 40 Typhoons, likely the latest Tranche 4 variant, at a value of more than $5.5 billion.
It’s a pivotal moment for the Turkish air force after it was blocked from buying the US-made F-35s due to its investment in Russian S-400 air defence systems.
Germany finally releases Türkiye to join the Eurofighter Typhoon club
Türkiye has been in the market for the Eurofighter Typhoon for some time, but the deal has been held up by political tensions between NATO allies. As the fighter jet is a joint project. Türkiye needed approval from all four partner nations – the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain – to buy the aircraft.
A critical stumbling block was Germany, which previously blocked Türkiye’s bid for the Typhoon due to tensions between Türkiye and Greece and the detention of Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu.
However, the new centre-right administration under Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has adopted a more pragmatic stance on arms exports. Merz’s government is focusing on NATO cohesion and industrial alignment over earlier values-driven restrictions.
Now, Germany’s Bundessicherheitsrat (Federal Security Council) has granted formal approval for exporting arms, specifically, up to 40 Eurofighter Typhoons, to Türkiye. This closed-door endorsement clears the way for export licences to be issued
A lifeline for UK Typhoon production
Under the UK-Türkiye MoU, final assembly of the Eurofighter Typhoons will take place in the UK. Specifically, that will be at BAE Systems’ Warton facility in Lancashire.
BAE welcomed today’s announcement, with Charles Woodburn, BAE chief executive, saying it “underscores the importance of their long-standing defence co-operation through NATO and the critical role Typhoon plays in security and defence in Europe and the Middle East.”
The Typhoon assembly line had effectively ground to a halt, as the final order for the site, a Typhoon destined for Qatar, was almost complete. The UK hasn’t placed an order for the jet since 2009, and the site was reliant on export orders to keep the production line running.
But with no follow-on orders from Qatar or Saudi Arabia forthcoming, the production line ground to a halt, risking a loss of critical skills for future fighter jet construction, including under GCAP.
With Türkiye’s aircraft set to be made in the UK, the stalled production lines could be restarted, securing hundreds of jobs and industrial skills for future fighter programmes.
