ANKARA: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said London has signed an agreement to sell Eurofighter jets to NATO member Türkiye in a 10-year deal worth nearly US$11 billion after talks Monday (Oct 27) with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"This is a really significant deal, because it's £8 billion (US$10.7 billion) worth of orders... These are jobs that will last for 10 years, making the (Eurofighter) Typhoons, so really big for our country," Starmer said.
Britain's defence ministry described the order, which would involve 20 Eurofighters, as the "biggest fighter jet deal in a generation", saying it would strengthen Türkiye's combat capabilities and bolster "NATO's strength in a key region".
"The UK will provide Türkiye with 20 new Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, with the option to provide more in the future," Starmer said after signing the agreement.
The deal would "bolster security across NATO, deepen our bilateral defence cooperation, and boost economic growth here and in the United Kingdom, securing 20,000 British jobs, building these state-of-the-art fighter jets", he said.
Erdogan hailed the agreement as "a new symbol of the strategic relations" with Britain.
He thanked the other members of the Eurofighter consortium for their "constructive approach".
British defence minister John Healey, who travelled to Ankara with Starmer, said the deal "goes far beyond" aircraft.