The UK government has finalised a defence export agreement worth up to £8 billion for the sale of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey. The contract was signed in Ankara during Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official visit, marking the UK’s largest fighter export in nearly a decade and the first major Typhoon sale since 2017. According to the government, the deal will see final assembly of the aircraft take place in the UK at BAE Systems’ Warton facility in Lancashire, securing around 500 direct jobs and supporting thousands more within the wider aerospace supply chain.

The agreement forms part of a wider push by the Starmer government to deepen trade and industrial ties with NATO allies while maintaining the UK’s defence manufacturing base. The Warton site, which has been central to the Eurofighter programme for more than two decades, will carry out final assembly, weapons integration, and testing. Other key BAE facilities involved include Samlesbury in Lancashire, which produces the rear fuselage sections of the jet, and sites in Bristol and Edinburgh responsible for radar and avionics systems. The Typhoon export programme is estimated by the Ministry of Defence to support more than 20,000 British jobs across the country.

Turkey’s order for 20 aircraft is part of a broader effort to modernise its air force, replacing ageing F-16 models and reducing dependence on …