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 US-sourced equipment. The Eurofighter consortium—made up of BAE Systems, Airbus, and Leonardo—has positioned the aircraft as one of Europe’s leading multi-role fighters, already in service with the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Ankara’s acquisition will bring Turkey closer into the European defence industrial framework at a time when cooperation within NATO has gained renewed emphasis following conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

The UK government has said that deliveries under the Turkish contract are expected to begin from 2030, keeping the Typhoon production line active into the next decade. This timeline provides continuity for BAE Systems’ workforce and suppliers while bridging production ahead of the planned introduction of the next-generation Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), being jointly developed by the UK, Italy, and Japan. BAE Systems is expected to record about £4.6 billion of the total contract value in revenue for its share of the work.

Officials in London and Ankara have described the agreement as both an industrial and diplomatic milestone. It follows a year of negotiations between BAE Systems, the UK Ministry of Defence, and the Turkish government. The deal was publicly supported by the UK Defence Secretary, who said it would strengthen cooperation between NATO allies and sustain Britain’s long-term role as a leading defence exporter. Turkey has also sought closer alignment with European defence projects since being excluded from the US-led F-35 programme in 2019. The contract has drawn some criticism from human rights groups, which note that Turkey has faced ongoing concerns about press freedom and political repression. The government has maintained that all arms export decisions are subject to the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which assesses the risk of misuse before approvals are granted. Ministers have stressed the economic and strategic importance of the deal in securing jobs and bolstering industrial capacity within the UK defence sector.

The Typhoon agreement is being viewed within the context of the UK’s post-Brexit trade policy, with the government aiming to strengthen bilateral industrial partnerships beyond the European Union. The Turkish deal follows recent UK defence export successes involving Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Japan. It also reinforces BAE Systems’ position as Britain’s largest defence employer and one of Europe’s principal aerospace contractors....