Turkey conducted negotiations with the United Kingdom of the possible sale of a large weapons package, including fighters, transport aircraft, engines and frigates, Middle East Eye reported three separate sources familiar with the negotiations.
Turkish Minister of Defense Hulushi Akar visited London on Sunday, where he met his British colleague Ben Wallace.
Sources reported that during the meeting, Akar and Wallace studied the possibility of acquiring Ankara of Eurofighter jet aircraft, C-130J transport aircraft and Type 23 frigates, as well as engines for outdated Turkish M60 combat tanks. According to sources, the estimated value of such a transaction is significantly more than 10 billion dollars.
“We evaluate our options, but we are not at the final stage of negotiations,” one of the Turkish sources on the condition of anonymity said.
“The Minister of Defense met with his Turkish colleague to discuss the strengthening of defense ties between the two countries. They spoke a number of topics, including procurement, and noted the progress achieved in a number of areas,” said the representative of the British defense department.