Turkey and the UK have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking another step toward Ankara’s potential acquisition of the Eurofighter Typhoon.
On Jul. 23, 2025, Yasar Güler, Turkish Minister of National Defence, and John Healey, UK Secretary of State for Defence, signed a MoU regarding the potential procurement of up to 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets (worth 5.6B USD), at the IDEF defence trade event in Istanbul.
During the ceremony, Güler noted that the preliminary agreement would deepen bilateral defense cooperation and reinforce NATO’s collective airpower, while also supporting Turkey’s own air force capabilities.
Jorge Tamarit Degenhardt, Chief Executive Officer of #Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, has welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing between the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the Government of the United Kingdom.
Yasar Güler, Turkish Minister of National… pic.twitter.com/I6hOLdXUgZ
— Eurofighter Typhoon (@eurofighter) July 23, 2025
“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,” Güler said.
The MoU signing came as Germany’s federal security council has approved the delivery of 40 Eurofighter Typhoons to Turkey, as Der Spiegel reported. While the German defence ministry has not issued a statement, the export clearance marks a key development in a process that began in 2023. Ankara has consistently expressed interest in acquiring Eurofighters to supplement its current and future air combat fleet.
UK Government:
Negotiations on the potential multi-billion-pound export deal for Typhoon fighter jets with Türkiye will now continue over the coming weeks.
— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 23, 2025
The Eurofighter consortium is composed of Germany, the UK, Italy, and Spain, and includes Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo. The approval from Berlin had been seen as a potential obstacle, given Germany’s restrictive arms export policy and political sensitivities surrounding Turkey’s military posture.
In parallel to the Eurofighter negotiations, Turkey is also engaged in discussions with the United States for the purchase of 40 new F-16s, alongside modernization kits for its existing fleet. At the same time, the country continues to invest in its domestic fighter programs, including the development of the TF-X (KAAN) and ongoing work on the Hürjet advanced trainer/light fighter.
The agreement with the UK and the export clearance from Germany follow several weeks of positive messaging from both Ankara and members of the Eurofighter consortium. Earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan praised the support shown by both London and Berlin on the matter.
Should the acquisition be finalized, Turkey would become the latest user of the Eurofighter Typhoon, joining other NATO air forces such as the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as well as export customers like Austria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.
