PM Starmer signs £8 billion Eurofighter deal with Turkey

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed an agreement to sell Eurofighter jets to Nato member Turkey in a 10-year deal worth £8 billion (about 345 billion baht) after talks on Monday with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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Britain's PM Keir Starmer, left, and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose for a photo at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on Monday.

(AFP)

“This is a really significant deal, because it’s £8 billion worth of orders... These are jobs that will last for 10 years, making the [Eurofighter] Typhoons, so really big for our country,” Mr Starmer said.

Britain's defence ministry described the order, which involves 20 Eurofighter Typhoon planes, as the “biggest fighter jet deal in a generation” saying it would strengthen Turkey’s combat capabilities and bolster “Nato strength in a key region”.

Mr Starmer said the deal would “bolster security across Nato” and secure 20,000 British jobs, adding it included the option to supply more Eurofighters in the future.