The United Kingdom and Turkey have signed a deal worth up to £8 billion for 20 Typhoon fighter jets, securing around 20,000 British jobs and marking the largest UK fighter export agreement in nearly two decades, the government stated.
The deal was finalised during Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s first official visit to Ankara, where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. It is the first new order for UK-built Typhoons since 2017 and is expected to sustain production lines in Warton, Samlesbury, Bristol, and Edinburgh for years to come. The agreement also strengthens NATO’s air power and interoperability between the UK and Türkiye, according to the government.
Starmer described the agreement as “a win for British workers, a win for our defence industry, and a win for NATO security.” He added that the deal delivers “highly skilled, well-paid jobs” across the country and demonstrates the government’s “Plan for Change in action.”
The Typhoon programme currently supports thousands of jobs across the UK, including nearly 6,000 at BAE Systems sites in Lancashire, over 1,100 at Rolls-Royce in Bristol, and more than 800 at Leonardo’s radar manufacturing facility in Edinburgh. The UK is responsible for 37 percent of each aircraft’s production, with the remainder divided among the Eurofighter consortium partners in Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Defence Secretary John Healey, who accompanied Starmer to Ankara, said the export marks “the biggest jet exports deal in a generation.” He added that it will “pump billions of pounds into our economy and keep British Typhoon production lines turning long into the future,” while enhancing NATO’s collective deterrence.
Charles Woodburn, Chief Executive of BAE Systems, said Türkiye’s procurement “marks the start of a new chapter in our longstanding relationship with this important NATO ally.” He called the deal “an export success story” that would preserve sovereign defence skills and extend Typhoon production well into the next decade.
The first aircraft deliveries to Türkiye are expected in 2030. Typhoon jets currently form the backbone of the Royal Air Force’s combat air fleet, supporting missions including NATO air policing, homeland air defence, and Operation Shader in Iraq and Syria.
Great!
We were expecting the announcement after all the different press speculations over the last few days. So do we now know the number and that there will be twenty new planes sold to Turkey from the UK? It certainly sounds like it.
Might there be more planes be on the horizon if Qatar sells some of its planes to Turkey and goes for replacements?
The Qatari planes are relatively new. Were they supplied by UK ….or was it Italy. Do we know why the Qataris are considering ditching them?
UK. The RAF even operate them jointly with Qatar. I read one piece that suggested there would be 12 used Qatari planes going to Turkey and another that suggested that the last couple of new planes off the Warton production line, which had been bound for Qatar, would go to Turkey instead. The international press have been speculating all sorts on this one.
No concrete reasons as to the desire to sell, but there are plenty of rumours around a lack of satisfaction with the performance compared to their American and French equivalents, a need to reduce maintenance complexity and costs by cutting an aircraft from the fleet, a way of ingratiating themselves with Turkey, et cetera.
That sounds like total bollocks, do you have a source for that?
I’d wait to read the detailed info that will be briefed.
There will probably be another announcement regarding the refurbished units.
If I was guessing I’d say the Qatari units would be delivered fast with a light makeover and would then be cycled through and upgraded to the same spec as the new build units when they is drawing down.
Most sources say the order is for 20. The Daily Sabah says 12 delivered immediately and a further 28 over time. I saw another source which said 44. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the order increased.
The Daily Sabah also hints that the 12 Omani planes will be sold to Turkey and refurbished and updated in the UK prior to delivery. Also, apparently, the 12 immediate ones, are the new order from Qatar; they would be diverted from Qatar to Turkey and presumably Qatar would get theirs at a later date. so, if the the Daily Sabah is right, the final number could be 44, i.e., 12 immediately, diverted from the Qatari order, followed by 12 refurbished Omani ones and finally, the 20 new-builds from the UK. No mention of used RAF planes…
Good work: 44 does sound like a more realistic fleet.
why are the omanis getting rid of them. they’ve only had them 5 minutes. they are virtually new – what refurb would they need?
Hi folks hope all is well.
Well this is good news if it is corect. Whilst typing, GB News is reporting a different view on this matter. They are making reference that these are current RAF Typhoons, the old tranche 1? I’m confused is it new aircraft or old? Unless of course they are going to refurbish the old to 4th generation?
Cheers
George
They seem to be on the same page as everyone else now. Perhaps you picked up on some of yesterday’s speculations.
Tranche 1 jets really can’t be upgraded to the latest standards.
At least GB a news is reporting it. I have just had a good look at the BBC website, business, local news and world news and there is no mention of it anywhere. Presumably selling nasty things like weapons doesn’t sit well with the powers that decide what we can see?
Only utter fuckwits watch GBnews 🐷🤡💩🤣
I don’t even know where to find it!
Nick, If you value your sanity I’d keep it that way !
Well if GBNews isn’t reporting the correct news or at best simply guessing at it, it might be why the BBC aren’t doing the same unlike GBNews the BBC get it in the neck if and when they report nonsense.
That’s of course why the BBC didn’t report on that large sale of warships to Norway, or the potential sale to Denmark. It’s because they don’t like to report on weapons sales, duh. That makes sense, thank you for clearing that up.
It should at least be in the business pages since the share price of BAE Systems shoots up
£400m per jet?!
It will include spares, weapons, etc. BAE have said Meteors will be included.
I would have thought the jigs for Meteors would have been scrapped a long time ago, and why would Turkey want 1940’s era technology anyway. I suppose there are a few sitting in museums they could get going again.
No follow-up orders to bank economies of scale, Starmer? Of course not. Deeply unserious party and as a result, country
What economies of scale. After over 22 years of production Typhoons are still a good 80M a pop.
To be fair if they were produced at a commercial pace, rather than a deliberately slowed pace to keep the workforce busy, they would be a lot cheaper.
And if they did that the production line would be closed now…
We are talking about *now* and an odder for 20 new build and 20 refurbs.
And that does allow for faster than glacial delivery.
Particularly as others are also building another 60 jets so we will be making 35% of 80ish jets – that does mean a pickup in pace!!
So now we confidently expect the defence industrial plan to increase RAF fast jet numbers?
Maybe? Perhaps? Potentially?
There’s not a lot of indicators to say that a future British order is coming, merely a lot of events that would make a future British order more appealing. If it were to happen, I think we would’ve seen more fanfare, but don’t rule it out.
It should also be noted that this sale does secure those all important jobs on the assembly line, which is a positive but also means that the government is let off the hook for their own procurements.
We all know it’s needed, so it probably won’t happen.
That’s the ridiculous thing with this govt, this will be treated as an opportunity NOT to order Typhoon for ourselves rather than an opportunity to save money in the long run by buying now.
Yes, what the deal does achieve is the protection of jobs at Warton etc and the securing of the Tempest program. Now there’s no pressure to order more Typhoons for the RAF …if there are higher defence priorities. Above my pay grade but maybe GBAD, another dozen F-35A, artillery? I also confidently expect an announcement that Nurol Makina will be making our army patrol vehicles….quid pro quo.
There will have to be an assessment first, followed by a period of reflection subject to a meeting regarding having further meetings subject to budget restraints in this parliament….maybe.
At this stage Geoff, prayer our best bet. 🙂
Blimey, there is plenty of competition as well.
Another week of nil orders for the RAF
There might be in the investment plan… but I doubt it.
I think HMG is hoping that by the time the last Typhoons are being delivered the first production run of Tempest will begin.
As Rudy Giuliani* said, “Hope is not a strategy”
* before he went bonkers and was disbarred
I reckon they will wait to see how the Tempest test programme goes in both scheduling and technological success. If progress is good then I can’t see more being ordered if not which in a programme like this is always a risk, then they may have little choice unless the borrow others to fill the gap.
Geez glad you added the * there. Old Rudy is as bonkers as a box of frogs these days, just a guy not to meet on a dark night previously.
“What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours”🎼🎵🎵🎵
Ermmmm, any RAF Typhoons being sold or was all the squbbling in vain ?
It’s not been mentioned, so perhaps it was another case of the ‘anonymous defence official’ getting it slightly twisted.
Or not even existing
Great, now can we see some much needed orders for the UK Armed Forces.
Well what a surprise, an unverified report from an unarmed source on a dodgy news site, about Turkey getting 20 Typhoons from the RAF turns out to be false.
Good thing UKDJ didn’t repeat the claim… ooops!
They reported what little information was available at the time. It would be better practice to go back, edit and republish (with obvious corrections) the existing article rather than wipe it over with a new one, though.
Just add 30 new builds for the RAF. Reopen either Leuchars or put them into Leeming.
Good news, at the very least this should secure the skills & workers at Warton until the Tempest transition.
The £8 bn deal covers 20 new build aircraft plus 24 refurbished and updated second-hand aircraft, all less than 8 years old – 12 (of 24 purchased) bought back from Qatar and 12 (of 12) from Oman. That’s the bad news as it kills any last hope of the UK selling more Typhoon’s to either country. Qatar seems to prefer the French Rafale while Oman is also expected to buy 12-24 Rafale’s to replace its Typhoon’s.