A first group of Turkish pilots and technicians is scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom in August to begin training on Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, the Ministry of National Defence has said.
The deployment follows a logistics and technical agreement between Ankara and London aimed at accelerating the integration of the aircraft into Türkiye’s air force.
Türkiye signed an £8 billion ($10.7 billion) deal in October 2025 to acquire 20 Eurofighter jets during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s meeting in Ankara.
“Under the signed agreement, flight and maintenance personnel will continue travelling to the United Kingdom each year,” the Defence Ministry spokesperson Zeki Akturk said on Thursday in a weekly briefing.
The twin-engine Typhoons are produced by a consortium comprising Britain’s BAE Systems, Airbus and Italy’s Leonardo.
Earlier, Airbus Defence and Space CEO Michael Schoellhorn said the Eurofighter deal could establish a long-term partnership with Türkiye as they scale up production and develop more advanced models with new technologies.
The two countries have also signed a broader framework agreement to expand cooperation in defence and the defence industry.
Eurofighter Typhoon jets are currently used by five European countries, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Austria, and four Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar.
