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 deal to export Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Ankara, the countries' Defence Ministries announced on Wednesday.

Turkey plans to purchase 40 of the British-assembled fighter aircraft. The deal had previously stalled due to a lack of approval from Germany, which is part of the multinational Eurofighter consortium and must authorize any exports.

The British Defence Ministry said the agreement marks a "significant step forward" and that a deal would strengthen NATO's deterrence capabilities while supporting thousands of defence sector jobs in the UK.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey called the potentially multibillion-pound deal a "major milestone."

Turkey was originally part of the US-led F-35 fighter jet programme but was removed in 2019 after acquiring Russia's S-400 missile defence system. US officials cited fears that the system could expose sensitive data on the F-35's stealth capabilities to Moscow.

The Turkish Defence Ministry told dpa on Wednesday that the planned Eurofighter purchase is not related to the F-35 dispute but is aimed at diversifying the country's defence procurement.

Ankara desperately needs to upgrade its air defence capabilities. However, analysts have noted that Turkey will need to build infrastructure and train personnel before the jets are delivered and can go into operation.