British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Turkiye on Monday, aiming to advance negotiations on a multi-billion-dollar sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to enhance Ankara’s air capabilities. Starmer is scheduled to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on regional and bilateral issues. In July, Turkiye and the UK signed a preliminary deal for the Eurofighters, which are manufactured by a consortium comprising the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain and led by Britain’s BAE Systems.
The deal followed Germany’s reported decision to lift its longstanding opposition to the sale of the jets to Turkiye. Last week, Erdogan toured three Gulf nations and held talks on the potential acquisition of used Typhoons from Qatar and Oman. Turkiye views the purchase of Eurofighters and other advanced jets as an interim solution until its domestically developed fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet becomes operational. That is expected no earlier than 2028. Turkiye, a member of the NATO military alliance, also seeks reentry into the US-led F-35 fighter jet program.
It was excluded in 2019 due to its purchase of Russian-made S-400 missile defence systems, which were deemed a security risk to the F-35 program. Erdogan raised the issue of the sale of F-35 fighter jets during a recent meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House. Turkish officials have said Turkiye wants to acquire a total of 120 fighter jets — 40 Eurofighters, 40 US-made F-16s and 40 F-35s — as a transitional fleet ahead of the KAAN’s entry into service.
