BAE Systems to develop Turkish fighter jet

The UK and Turkey have signed a defence deal worth more than £100m which will see BAE Systems working to develop Turkish fighter jets.

The aerospace giant, which has plane-making plants at Warton and Samlesbury in Lancashire, has sealed a Heads of Agreement for a future contract with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) for the TF-X fighter programme.

The two companies will now collaborate on the first development phase of an indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet for the Turkish Air Force.

The announcement builds upon a pre-contract study phase between BAE Systems and TAI.

BAE Systems chief executive Ian King, said: ‘‘BAE Systems is a leader in designing, manufacturing and supporting fighter aircraft and is in an excellent position to contribute technical and engineering expertise and experience of managing complex projects to this key Turkish programme.

“The announcement signals an exciting next step in relations between both Turkey and the UK with the co-operation between BAE Systems and TAI paving the way for a deeper defence partnership.

“The agreement confirms on-going collaborative work on the design and development of the aircraft.”

At its peak hundreds of Turkish and UK engineers will work together on the TF-X programme helping to support collaboration on the skills, technology and technical expertise required to deliver the programme.

BAE Systems has a proven history of investing in Turkey – FNSS Savunma Sistemleri (FNSS) is a long established joint venture between the company and Nurol Holding and is a leading Turkish manufacturer of armoured vehicles.

This same model has been followed more recently in establishing an aerospace JV with Nurol Holding in order to develop Turkish aerospace capability in country.

This latest agreement was signed in Ankara the presence of Prime Minister Theresa May and her Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim.

The UK PM also announced a new trade working group with Turkey during her visit, part of overseas efforts to generate more international trade for the country in the wake of Brexit. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was reported as saying he hoped that trade between the two countries, now worth $15bn, could soon reach $20bn.