The centre fuselage is being built in Germany, and other major components are in production across the Eurofighter partner countries. Turkish Air Force representatives recently visited BAE’s Samlesbury plant in Lancashire to see the work, which Dave Ward, the company’s vice-president for Türkiye, called “an exciting moment for the programme”.
The UK and Türkiye signed the agreement in October 2025 during Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s first visit to Ankara, where he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The deal makes Türkiye the programme’s tenth operator and marks the first new order for UK Typhoons since 2017, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The ministry said the deal would help sustain around 20,000 jobs across the UK and keep BAE’s Warton production line running. Under the Eurofighter workshare agreement, 37% of each aircraft is manufactured in the UK, with the rest produced by the other partner countries.
Production of Türkiye’s first @eurofighter Typhoon is now taking shape with assembly of the aircraft’s front fuselage underway at our facility in the North of England.
The milestone marks the latest step forward in delivering 20 new Typhoon aircraft for Türkiye, one year on from the nation signing a contract to become the programme’s tenth operator.
As assembly advances in the UK, work is also progressing across the Typhoon partner nations, with key components being manufactured throughout Europe. @AirbusDefence is currently producing the centre fuselage of the first Turkish aircraft at its facility in Germany.
Dave Ward, Vice-President – Türkiye at BAE Systems, said: “This is an exciting moment for the programme and a demonstration to our Turkish customer that Europe’s defence industry is working hard to deliver on our commitments to them.
“Typhoon will become a key part of Türkiye’s frontline, further strengthening its position as the backbone of NATO’s combat air power and this latest milestone is an important step towards making this a reality.”
Representatives from the Turkish Air Force recently visited BAE Systems’ advanced production facility in Samlesbury, Lancashire to see the latest progress on work.
— BAE Systems Air (@BAESystemsAir) November 5, 2026
Nearly 6,000 jobs directly support the programme at BAE’s Warton and Samlesbury sites, which handle production and final assembly. The programme supports more than 1,100 jobs in south-west England, including at Rolls-Royce in Bristol, which makes EJ200 engine components, and more than 800 in Scotland, including at Leonardo in Edinburgh, which makes the Typhoon’s radar.
The ministry said the deal would strengthen Türkiye’s combat air capability and make it easier for the British and Turkish air forces to operate together. “This landmark agreement with Türkiye is a win for British workers, a win for our defence industry, and a win for NATO security,” Starmer said when the deal was signed.
Defence Secretary John Healey called the agreement “the leading edge of the growing defence and industrial partnership between our two nations”. BAE Systems chief executive Charles Woodburn said at the time: “Today’s announcement extends Typhoon production and preserves crucial sovereign skills which underpin the UK’s defence and security.”
