Turkish officials say Syria’s interim government has requested Turkey’s help to boost its defense capabilities.

Syria’s interim government has requested Turkey’s help to boost its defense capabilities, Turkish officials say

Britain signed a preliminary deal allowing Ankara to operate the jets while Germany approved delivery of 40 of them to Turkey, which has relied on both foreign purchases and its own defence industry projects, including domestic jets, to ramp up deterrence. Beyond the Eurofighters, Ankara is also in talks with Washington to purchase 40 F-16s.

The U.K. and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding to allow Ankara to become a customer of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, paving the way for a multibillion-dollar order of up to 40 aircraft. Senior defense officials from both governments signed the deal in Istanbul on Wednesday, confirming a Dow Jones Newswires report published Monday.

Turkey and Britain signed a preliminary deal allowing Ankara to operate Eurofighter Typhoon jets on Wednesday while Germany approved the delivery of 40 jets, which Turkey has sought to bolster defences in an increasingly volatile region.