By Cristina Gallardo

Turkey signed a contract worth 5.48 billion pounds ($7.29 billion) to buy 20 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.

As part of the deal, signed by the governments of Turkey and the U.K., Ankara will buy 20 fighter jets with an associated weapons and integration package.

The multi-billion contract was announced Monday during a visit by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Ankara, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Eurofighter is made up of a consortium of three of Europe's largest defense companies: BAE Systems, Airbus and Leonardo. The weapons will be primarily provided by the European missile consortium MBDA.

BAE Systems said it expects to recognize 4.6 billion pounds from the purchase, including through its 37.5% stake in MBDA.

The British arms maker will manufacture airframe components, conduct the final assembly of the aircraft and lead the weapons integration at its sites in Lancashire, U.K., it said.

Turkey, a member of NATO, has sought to purchase Eurofighter jets since 2023, but the talks stumbled because of Germany's reluctance to approve an export license due to concerns over some elements of Ankara's foreign policy.

In July, the U.K. and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding to allow Ankara to become a customer of the Typhoon jet, paving the way for a multibillion-dollar order.

The first Eurofighter is scheduled for delivery to Turkey in 2030. Turkey will then become its tenth operator, alongside NATO partners such as Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy, and non-NATO states including Austria and Oman.

U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey, who joined Starmer on the trip, described this contract as the "leading edge" of the growing defense and industrial partnership between Britain and Turkey--which he called the gatekeeper to the Black Sea.

"By equipping [Turkey] with top-of-the-range Typhoon fighter jets, this deal will strengthen NATO deterrence and help make us all safer," Healey said.

Earlier this month, Germany ordered 20 Eurofighter jets, scheduled for delivery to the German Air Force between 2031 and 2034.

Write to Cristina Gallardo at cristina.gallardo@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 27, 2025 13:25 ET (17:25 GMT)

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