Two Turkish Air Force pilots have started training on RAF Typhoon fighters at RAF Coningsby, marking the first step in an £8 billion contract to supply Türkiye with 20 Typhoon aircraft, according to the Royal Air Force.
The pilots joined 29 Squadron, the RAF’s Typhoon Operational Conversion Unit based in Lincolnshire. Their conversion course will last up to nine months, followed by three months of instructor training.
Once qualified, the pilots will serve as instructors with 29 Squadron until Türkiye receives its first Typhoon deliveries from BAE Systems in 2030.
Group Captain Batu, Programme Director at Türkiye’s Programme Management Office, welcomed the milestone. “It was an honour to welcome the first two Turkish Air Force pilots as they engage on their conversion training onto the Eurofighter Typhoon, where they will operate side by side with Royal Air Force personnel,” he said. He added that the pilots were “extremely proud” to become their nation’s first Typhoon aviators.
The £8 billion agreement covers 20 Typhoon jets alongside weapons, support and training packages. It will help sustain around 20,000 jobs across UK production sites in Edinburgh, Warton, Samlesbury and Bristol.
The deal strengthens Türkiye’s combat air capabilities while reinforcing NATO’s presence in a strategically significant region. It builds on the Security and Defence Partnership signed by the UK and Türkiye at July’s NATO Summit in Ankara.
Typhoon jets remain central to RAF operations, supporting NATO Air Policing along the alliance’s eastern border, UK Quick Reaction Alert duties, and counter-Daesh missions under Operation Shader in Iraq and Syria.
Learn more on the RAF website
