BAE Systems begins assembling Türkiye’s first Eurofighter Typhoon nose section in Britain

BAE Systems announced that the nose section of the first Eurofighter Typhoon being built for the Turkish Air Force has entered the assembly line at its Samlesbury facility in Lancashire. The milestone comes one year after Ankara placed its order for 20 aircraft, while Airbus is manufacturing the aircraft’s center fuselage in Germany.

British defense company BAE Systems has announced that assembly of the nose section of the first Eurofighter Typhoon being built for Türkiye has begun. BAE Systems Air, the company’s air systems division, said in a post on X on Nov. 5 that work was continuing at its facility in northern England. The company emphasized that the milestone came exactly one year after the contract was signed, making Türkiye the program’s 10th customer.

According to the announcement, production is not limited to Britain. Manufacturing of the main components is progressing simultaneously across the Typhoon’s partner countries. The center fuselage of the first aircraft to be delivered to Türkiye is being produced at an Airbus Defence and Space facility in Germany. The Eurofighter consortium comprises BAE Systems, Airbus and Italy’s Leonardo, while the partner countries are Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain.

“We are delivering on our commitment to our Turkish customer”

Dave Ward, BAE Systems’ vice president responsible for Türkiye, linked the progress to the company’s delivery commitments. Ward said, “This is an exciting moment for the program and a sign of the intense work being carried out by the European defense industry to deliver on its commitments to our Turkish customer.”

Ward added, “The Typhoon will be a key part of Türkiye’s frontline capability and will further strengthen the country’s position at the heart of NATO’s combat air power. This latest milestone is an important step toward making that a reality.” The company also said that Turkish Air Force representatives had recently visited the Samlesbury facility in Lancashire to review the latest stage of production on site.

Samlesbury is the facility where the main structural components allocated to Britain under the Typhoon program are manufactured. The nose section, dorsal fuel tank and tail section are produced there. Under the consortium’s work-sharing arrangement, more than one-third of each Typhoon is manufactured in Britain. Final assembly of the Turkish aircraft will also take place at the Warton facility in Lancashire.

A Eurofighter Typhoon landing at BAE Systems' Warton facility in Lancashire

The agreement signed by Erdoğan and Starmer

The contract for the procurement of 20 newly built Eurofighter Typhoons by Türkiye and Britain was signed in Ankara on Oct. 27, 2025, with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Before this step, Türkiye’s Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and British Defense Secretary John Healey had signed a memorandum of understanding at the IDEF fair in Istanbul on July 23, 2025.

The footage shows Erdoğan and Starmer signing the Eurofighter agreement and exchanging documents at a ceremony in Ankara on Oct. 27, 2025, with delegations from both countries also present. Türkiye’s Defense Ministry put the value of the procurement contract, covering the aircraft, mission equipment and munitions, at approximately £5.4 billion. The British government said the total program value could reach £8 billion, or approximately $10.7 billion, including training and support elements.

The first six aircraft are due in 2030

A technical and logistical support contract was also signed by Güler and Healey on March 25, 2026. Clash Report reported that the package, worth approximately £2.5 billion and led by BAE Systems as the prime contractor, covers spare parts, repairs, training, support equipment and technical services after the aircraft enter service. The company said in its half-year results announced on July 30, 2026, that production of the Turkish aircraft had begun in Britain and the partner countries.

Under the schedule Güler shared in December 2025, six of the aircraft are projected to be delivered in 2030, eight in 2031 and the remaining six in 2032. The aircraft are expected to be built to the Tranche 4 production standard. Güler said the munitions package also includes the beyond-visual-range Meteor air-to-air missile. The Typhoons are seen as a bridge that will sustain the Air Force’s capabilities until the indigenous combat aircraft KAAN enters service.

A Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 during a climb

Turkish pilots training at RAF Coningsby

Preparations for deliveries are also continuing. The Royal Air Force announced at the end of September that the first two Turkish pilots had arrived at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and begun Typhoon training. The pilots will complete an approximately nine-month course with No. 29 Squadron, which is responsible for the RAF’s Typhoon conversion training, followed by three months of instructor pilot training. Under the support agreement, Britain plans to train 10 Turkish instructor pilots and approximately 100 maintenance personnel.

Ankara is also working on procuring Typhoons from Qatar to meet the need that will arise until the new aircraft arrive. Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk, spokesperson for Türkiye’s Defense Ministry, said at a weekly news conference on Oct. 22, “Work to procure Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from Qatar is continuing.” The ministry had said that the Qatari side was expected to prepare and send Türkiye a draft training program and sales contract.

Cover photo: BAE Systems. Video: Clash Report. Photos: Wikimedia Commons