UK and Turkey have strengthened their military ties with a major defence deal.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed a deal in which Turkey will buy 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the UK for ÂŁ8 billion ($10.7 billion).
Starmer met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday, October 27 to officially sign the deal.
As per Reuters, this deal strengthens the military relationship between the two NATO allies and enhances Turkey's air defence capabilities.
Back in July, Turkey and Britain had already agreed to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
This deal was approved by the Eurofighter consortium which involves Germany, Italy and Spain and is represented by the companies Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.
As per the outlet, Turkey plans to use these advanced fighter jets to strengthen it military and compete with regional rivals.
Turkey, NATOâs second-largest military aims to buy Eurofighter jets and possibily US-made F-35s to update it aging fleet of F-16s.
On the other hand, Turkey is reportedly close to finalizing a deal to quickly receive 12 Eurofighter Typhoon jets that were previously owned by Qatar and Oman.
These used jets would address Turkey's immediate defence needs while additional new jets from Britain are expected to delivered in he coming years.
