This was the first visit to Ankara by the Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the deal was signd on 27th October with the President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Keir Starmer said:
At either ends of Europe, the UK and Türkiye are vital to tackling the challenges of our time and this will allow our Armed Forces to work even closer together as we deter threats and protect our national interests.
Delivering highly skilled, well-paid jobs, including in Warton, Edinburgh and Bristol for years to come, this is yet another example of our Plan for Change in action, driving renewal and opportunity up and down the country.
Charles Woodburn, Chief Executive, BAE Systems said:
Türkiye’s procurement of Typhoon marks the start of a new chapter in our longstanding relationship with this important NATO ally and reinforces the outstanding operational support the aircraft delivers across Europe and the Middle East as a fundamental pillar of defence and security.
Typhoon is an export success story and demonstrates how investment in defence can fuel significant economic growth and returns across the UK. Today’s announcement extends Typhoon production and preserves crucial sovereign skills which underpin the UK’s defence and security.
UK Typhoon production had stalled
It’s no joke to say that this comes in the nick of time as BAE Systems had halted production of the Eurofighter Typhoon at their Warton plant due to a lack of new orders and export deals for the UK – the partner countries of Spain, Italy, and Germany haven’t been as affected. This particular plant has been saved and the future of the British combat jet industry ensured for the time being. The MOD cites nearly 6,000 jobs directly support the Typhoon programme at BAE Systems sites in Warton and Samlesbury – roughly a third of each fighter is assembled in the UK with the rest produced by the Eurofighter Partner Nations. The Typhoon programme also supports more than 1,100 jobs in the South West and more than 800 in Scotland. Rolls-Royce in Bristol produce modules and components for the fighters engines and is a maintenance centre for the engines. Leonardo in Edinburgh manufacture the fighter jet’s radar systems.
Export deals are crucial and the consortium had been focusing on Austria, Poland, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia for new contracts as well as domestic orders. The deal with Ankara had been held up by German geopolitical concerns, presumably the UK smoothed these over with the agreement in July between the Prime Minister and the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to boost world-class UK defence exports such as Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon.
