Türkiye to receive comprehensive weapons package for Eurofighter deal

Türkiye’s agreement to purchase 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the United Kingdom includes a comprehensive weapons package.

The deal covers a full suite of armaments, including MBDA Meteor air-to-air missiles, advanced short-range air-to-air missiles, and Brimstone air-to-ground missiles, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The weapons package represents a substantial portion of the £5.4 billion ($7.1 billion) deal signed between the NATO allies.

The inclusion of these advanced missile systems significantly enhances the Turkish Air Force’s combat capabilities and marks an important step in modernising its operational arsenal.

The broader agreement, valued at £8 billion ($10.7 billion), was signed in Ankara on October 27, October 27, during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s first official visit to Türkiye since taking office last year.

Starmer described the signing with President Tayyip Erdogan as a “landmark moment,” while Erdogan noted that additional joint defence industry projects could follow.

The deal deepens bilateral defence cooperation between the two NATO members as Türkiye works to strengthen its air defences and close the gap with regional powers such as Israel, which has intensified military operations across the Middle East this year.

Analysts have described the contract as costly but strategically significant.

Europe has increasingly looked to Türkiye — NATO’s second-largest military power and a leading producer of armed drones — to reinforce its eastern flank and potentially contribute to any post-war stabilisation force in Ukraine.

Separately, Türkiye’s Defence Ministry confirmed that Ankara also intends to acquire 24 more Typhoons from Gulf partners, with 12 jets expected from both Oman and Qatar. 

By Jeyhun Aghazada