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Germany approves delivery of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets

to

Turkey

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UK, Turkey deal to allow Ankara to operate the jets

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Turkey in talks with US for 40 F-16s amid regional

tensions

By Ezgi Erkoyun

ISTANBUL, July 23 (Reuters) - Turkey reached deals with

NATO allies Britain and Germany on Wednesday that pave the way

to acquiring dozens of Eurofighter Typhoon jets, which Ankara

has sought to bolster defences in an increasingly volatile

region.

Britain signed a preliminary deal allowing Ankara to operate

the jets while Germany approved delivery of 40 of them to

Turkey, which has relied on both foreign purchases and its own

defence industry projects, including domestic jets, to ramp up

deterrence.

Beyond the Eurofighters, Ankara is also in talks with

Washington to purchase 40 F-16s.

Israel's attacks on regional countries, including its 12-day

conflict with Turkey's neighbour Iran and more recent strikes on

another neighbour Syria, have unnerved Ankara, prompting a push

for rapid armament in order to counter any potential threats.

Turkey has been in talks since 2023 to purchase 40

Eurofighter Typhoons, which are built by a consortium of

Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by Airbus

, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

Speaking at a signing ceremony with British Defence

Secretary John Healey in Istanbul, Defence Minister Yasar Guler

said the deal brought Turkey "one step closer to a fully

comprehensive agreement" on the jets, adding it would also

strengthen NATO and Turkey's aerial capabilities.

"We welcome this positive step toward our country joining

the Eurofighter Typhoon club, and want to reiterate our mutual

ambition to complete the necessary arrangements as soon as

possible," he said.

Guler also told reporters that the composition of the

planned acquisition was for 40 jets but that different options

were being considered.

NEW LEASE OF LIFE FOR BAE UK FACTORY

Separately, the German government - initially opposed to the

sale - has cleared the way for the delivery of 40 jets to Turkey

following a positive decision by the Federal Security Council,

the Spiegel news magazine reported on Wednesday.

The German defence ministry declined to comment and the

Federal Council, whose approval is needed for arms exports, does

not generally comment on its decisions.

The agreements come after weeks of positive statements from

Ankara and the Eurofighter consortium on the sale, with Turkish

President Tayyip Erdogan praising the German and British stance

on the issue this week.

Britain said negotiations with Turkey over an ultimate sale

will continue over the coming weeks.

The deal would be the first export order secured by Britain

for the jet since 2017 and would give a new lease of life to the

final assembly line at BAE's factory in northern England.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the multi-billion dollar

agreement with Turkey would "sustain and protect 20,000 UK jobs

for future years to come", while an official at BAE Systems said

last week the company was confident of winning new orders from

countries, including Turkey.

(Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu, Ece Toksabay and

Rachel More; writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan

Spicer, Bernadette Baum and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)