Through the publication of a statement on its official channels during the day yesterday, the company BAE Systems has confirmed that its facilities in the United Kingdom have begun production of the new Eurofighter fighters that will equip the Turkish Air Force, a country that has acquired a total of 20 units in exchange for an investment of 8 billion pounds. According to the company itself, the work began with the aim set on being able to complete the delivery of the first aircraft in the year 2030, in line with what was stipulated by the Turkish Ministry of Defence in December of last year.
Collecting some of the official statements of the aforementioned British company on this matter: “The manufacture of the new aircraft for Türkiye is already underway in the United Kingdom and in all the partner countries of the Eurofighter program, and it is planned that the first aircraft will be delivered in 2030 (…) More than a third of each Typhoon aircraft is manufactured in the United Kingdom, which generates employment for hundreds of companies in the supply chain across the country. The final assembly of the Turkish aircraft will be carried out in Warton, Lancashire. This program sustains more than 20,000 jobs in the British economy.”
Expanding in detail, we can mention that the development in question takes place within the framework of a new contract awarded to BAE Systems by Türkiye, which aims to guarantee the training of pilots and engineers of its Air Force. As has been described, the intention lies in being able to speed up the Turkish transition towards the new combat platform, for which Ankara had already agreed to cooperate with the Royal Air Force in the training of a group of 10 instructor pilots and around 100 instructors associated with maintenance tasks; which will allow the country to have its own capabilities to train personnel in its territory.
In this sense, it must also be mentioned that BAE Systems will have to supply high-fidelity training simulators, electronic warfare capabilities, spare parts and different support equipment associated with the process. Added to this, the company also committed to providing technical assistance services for a period of three years from the entry into service of the new Eurofighters, which will allow ensuring related jobs in the United Kingdom looking ahead to the future; this being an important demand of the main British trade unions.
Finally, it is important to highlight that Türkiye has not only partnered with the United Kingdom for the acquisition of Eurofighter fighters and in the necessary training of personnel to operate them. As we reported during the past month of January, the country has also partnered with Qatar for this purpose, highlighting that a first batch of Turkish pilots would already be training alongside their partners to accelerate this transition. Moreover, the country has already hinted at its plans to complement the 20 fighters acquired from the United Kingdom with another 12 that would come from the Qatari inventory, just as another 12 would be added from Oman; this after being subjected to modernization works.
*Images used for illustrative purposes
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