The first pilots from the Turkish Air Force have begun their Eurofighter Typhoon training in the United Kingdom with the Royal Air Force (RAF).
On September 27, 2026, the RAF said two combat pilots from Turkey had arrived and will begin training with 29 Squadron, the UK’s Typhoon Operational Conversation Unit, based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
Group Captain Batu, Program Director for Türkiye Program Management Office, said the trainees will spend the initial weeks of training learning Typhoon systems, and the procedures used in UK military airspace before they launch on their first sortie.
“I know that these Turkish pilots are incredibly excited about this new venture and are extremely proud to have been selected as their nation’s first ever Typhoon Pilots,” he said.
The pilots’ conversion training will take up to nine months, with follow-on instructor training taking a further three months.
Following graduation from their training courses, the pilots will remain with 29 Squadron as instructors until Turkey receives its first delivery of new Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, from BAE Systems, in 2030.
In October 2025, Turkey signed a deal worth up to £8 billion ($10.6 billion) for 20 Typhoon fighter jets and the associated weapons, support and training needed to operate the aircraft.
The agreement helped the UK sustain a 20,000 strong UK wide workforce, with production lines in Edinburgh, Warton, Salmesbury and Bristol.
“The Turkish agreement will strengthen Türkiye’s national Combat Air capabilities whilst bolstering NATO’s presence in a key operational region of the world and enhancing the strategic partnership between both our air forces,” the RAF said.