Türkiye–United Kingdom Eurofighter Typhoon Combat Aircraft Cooperation Agreement was signed on 27 October 2025 in Ankara at the Presidential Complex by the President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer. The agreement is a mutual understanding aimed at elevating defense industry collaboration between the two countries to an institutional level and strengthening strategic cooperation.
Background of the Agreement
The Türkiye–United Kingdom Eurofighter Typhoon Combat Aircraft Cooperation Agreement was signed on 27 October 2025 in Ankara. It was formally enacted during an official ceremony held at the Presidential Complex by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This mutual understanding constitutes the first high-level defense agreement to institutionalize defense industry cooperation between Türkiye and the United Kingdom.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a multirole combat aircraft jointly developed by four European countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain. Türkiye’s initiative to engage with this platform has been regarded as the beginning of a new era in its relations with the European defense industry consortium.
Visit Process and Signing Ceremony
Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom undertook an official visit to Ankara on 27 October 2025 at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The visit was organized to enhance strategic partnership relations between the two countries strengthen defense industry cooperation and address regional security issues.
On the day before the visit, Presidential Communication Director Burhanettin Duran stated that relations between Türkiye and the United Kingdom are based on a close alliance and operate at a strategic level. According to the statement discussions covered defense trade energy and regional matters.
Prime Minister Starmer and his delegation arrived in Ankara in the afternoon of 27 October. Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler welcomed Starmer with an official ceremony at the Mürted Air Base Command. Also participating in the visit were UK Defense Secretary John Healey and Chief of the Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth.
F-16 Escort in Turkish Airspace
The Ministry of National Defense announced that three Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft belonging to the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom had arrived in Türkiye as part of the visit. Upon entering Turkish airspace these aircraft were escorted by Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jets all the way to Ankara. This symbolic escort carried the significance of representing the core air defense cooperation underpinning the agreement.
Following the welcoming ceremony the British delegation visited the facilities of Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TUSAŞ). The visit was conducted under the supervision of Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler during which Prime Minister Starmer received technical information about Türkiye’s national combat aircraft KAAN.
Visit to TUSAŞ and Ceremony
During the meeting at TUSAŞ Turkish and British defense officials assessed joint R&D and production potential in aerospace technologies. Following the TUSAŞ visit Prime Minister Starmer proceeded to the Presidential Complex. President Erdoğan welcomed him with an official ceremony.
After the ceremony President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Starmer introduced their respective delegations and posed for the press in front of the national flags of both countries. The ceremony was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler General Secretary of the Presidency Hakkı Susmaz Presidential Communication Director Burhanettin Duran Türkiye’s Ambassador to London Osman Koray Ertaş and Presidential Security Advisor Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
Following the ceremony a one-on-one meeting chaired by the two leaders and a bilateral working dinner were held after which the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft cooperation agreement was signed. The agreement was signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the same session.
This mutual understanding has been recorded as a historic development for Türkiye’s inclusion in a European-led combat aircraft program. In statements made during the signing ceremony it was emphasized that the cooperation encompasses not only aircraft procurement but also defense industry production technology sharing and reciprocal investment opportunities.
Content and Significance of the Agreement
The Eurofighter Typhoon Combat Aircraft Cooperation Agreement signed between Türkiye and the United Kingdom has placed defense industry relations between the two countries within an institutional framework. This agreement is not merely an aircraft procurement protocol but a comprehensive mutual understanding covering technological cooperation defense production joint R&D and strategic coordination.
The agreement was signed on 27 October 2025 at the Presidential Complex by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Under the signed agreement the United Kingdom government will provide Türkiye with 20 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft. Additionally provisions for future additional acquisitions have been included in the agreement text. Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler further stated in his remarks that Türkiye plans to acquire 12 Eurofighter Typhoons each from Qatar and Oman thereby bringing a total of 44 aircraft into the Turkish Armed Forces inventory in phases.
In this context Türkiye has accepted technical cooperation provisions covering implementation arrangements for aircraft procurement as well as maintenance and integration infrastructure. The program aims to enhance air defense capabilities and foster joint development projects in defense technologies.
NATO and Regional Security Dimension
The Eurofighter Typhoon agreement is viewed as a step toward strengthening air defense integration among NATO allies. Türkiye’s participation in the program aligns with strategic objectives to enhance the alliance’s collective defense capabilities. Prime Minister Starmer emphasized that the agreement will reinforce NATO’s spirit of solidarity while President Erdoğan described this cooperation as a development that will strengthen Türkiye’s defense capacity and enhance intra-alliance coordination.
At the time of the agreement’s signing ongoing conflicts in Gaza and the war in Ukraine have conferred geopolitical significance upon this mutual understanding. Both parties reaffirmed their determination to demonstrate a unified diplomatic stance in addressing these crises affecting international security.
Technical Characteristics and Significance of the Eurofighter Typhoon Combat Aircraft
Eurofighter Typhoon is a multirole combat aircraft developed by the Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH consortium comprising leading European aerospace companies: Airbus (Germany and Spain) BAE Systems (United Kingdom) and Leonardo S.p.A. (Italy).
The program’s foundations were laid with the European Combat Aircraft (ECF) studies initiated in 1979. It later evolved into the Future European Fighter Aircraft (FEFA) project involving France the United Kingdom Germany Italy and Spain.
In 1985 after France withdrew from the project the remaining four countries united under the European Fighter Aircraft (EFA) program. This collaboration materialized with the first prototype’s flight in 1994 and the aircraft was officially named “Typhoon” in 1998.
The aircraft features a twin-engine supersonic design with canard-delta wings. Initially conceived for air superiority missions it has since evolved through modernization programs into a fully multirole combat platform.
Eurofighter Typhoon is classified as a 4.5-generation fighter aircraft and possesses the capability to perform advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is known for its canard-delta wing configuration. This design provides high maneuverability short takeoff capability and low drag. Deliberately designed with static instability it enables superior agility even at high angles of attack. This configuration necessitates the use of an advanced “fly-by-wire” electronic flight control system.
The aircraft is powered by EJ200 turbofan engines developed by the EUROJET Turbo GmbH consortium. These engines are produced by Rolls-Royce (United Kingdom) MTU Aero Engines (Germany) Avio Aero (Italy) and ITP Aero (Spain). Each aircraft is equipped with two EJ200 engines which provide a maximum speed of Mach 2.0 thanks to their high thrust-to-weight ratio and fuel efficiency.
The Typhoon also features an advanced avionics suite that enhances pilot situational awareness. It has 13 external weapons stations and can carry over 7500 kilograms of ordnance. It entered operational service in 2003 and is currently operated by the United Kingdom Germany Italy and Spain as well as Austria Saudi Arabia Kuwait Oman and Qatar.
Strategic and Technological Gains for Türkiye
The agreement represents for Türkiye not only the acquisition of combat aircraft but also the transfer of knowledge in aerospace technology electronic warfare systems and maintenance and modernization infrastructure.
Discussions at TUSAŞ facilities have brought to the forefront possibilities of technology sharing and joint R&D cooperation for future indigenous combat aircraft projects. In this context Türkiye has not only secured a short-term enhancement of its air power but also taken a significant step toward long-term industrial gains. The cooperation developed through the Eurofighter Typhoon platform is expected to form the foundation of a lasting strategic partnership between the two countries in defense economics technology and diplomacy.
