UK and Turkey sign letter of intent for Eurofighter jet deal
The United Kingdom and Turkey have signed a letter of intent to advance a potential agreement to export the Jets of Typhon Eurofighter to Ankara, the defense ministries of the countries announced on Wednesday.
Turkey plans to buy 40 British-assembly hunting planes. The agreement had previously blocked due to a lack of approval from Germany, which is part of the multinational Eurofighter Consortium and must authorize any export.
The British Defense Ministry said that the agreement marks a “significant step” and that an agreement would strengthen NATO’s deterrent capacities while supporting thousands of jobs in the defense sector in the United Kingdom.
British Defense Secretary John Healey described the potentially several billion pounds of “major milestones”.
Turkey was originally part of the F-35 hunting program led by the United States, but was abolished in 2019 after acquiring the Russian S-400 anti-missile defense system. US officials have cited fears that the system can expose sensitive data on the furtive capacities of the F-35 to Moscow.
The Turkish Defense Ministry told DPA on Wednesday that the purchase of a planned euro was not linked to the F-35 dispute but aims to diversify the country’s defense purchases.
Ankara desperately needs to upgrade her air defense capacities. However, analysts have noted that Turkey will have to build infrastructure and train personnel before delivery of jets and can enter service.
