MPs hail sale of Typhoons to Turkey – but ask why more aren't being bought for the RAF
The UK’s lack of production of new Typhoon jets has come under fire from MPs at Westminster Hall.
Conservative MP Andrew Snowden and Labour MP Andy MacNae echoed comments from other MPs during the debate that a sovereign capability would not only boost the Armed Forces, but would also help support British jobs and create more skilled workers.
They said they welcomed Turkey's order of 20 new UK-made Typhoons – but questioned why the UK wasn’t producing any more for itself.
No new Typhoons for the RAF
Since 2010 , no sovereign order has been made for a Typhoon.
Leading the debate was Mr Snowden, who said: "What kind of message does it send to say 'please buy our fighters' whilst we go buy somebody else's?"
Mr MacNae agreed with that sentiment, adding: "We must secure that sovereign capability, that production base, that competitive position for the next decade and more.
"We need to finish the job. The only way of doing that is by a UK Typhoon order."
Mr Snowden further criticised the MOD's decision to order US-made F-35As, saying the UK had the capability to make its own - but kept going elsewhere.
Twelve A variants have been ordered as they are certified to carry nuclear weapons – something the UK's current fleet of Typhoons and F-35Bs cannot do.
But the Tory MP argued: "We should count ourselves incredibly lucky as a country that we are more secure for being able to produce our own fighter jets.
"We should be doing everything at every opportunity to invest in and continue to develop and improve that capability.
"But instead the order has been sent across the Atlantic."
Disappointment at delay
Shadow defence secretary Mark Francois further criticised the delays in the US producing the F-35As for the UK.
"One of the drawbacks of the F-35s is that we are at the mercy of the joint programme office of the United States," he said.
"That, for instance, has led to serious delays in the integration of the Meteor missile – a highly capable air-to-air missile onto the F-35 because other American systems have prioritised first."
But Armed Forces Minister Al Carns pointed out that the UK already has a strong airborne capability – and the focus was now on the next generation of fighter – the Tempest.
The Typhoon in RAF service
Documents revealed to the House of Commons pointed out how the Typhoon has been in service with the RAF since 2003.
The current Typhoon fleet consists of the FGR Mk4, which is a land-based multi-role fighter capable of both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
This variant – along with the F-35B – provides the bulk of the RAF's combat air fleet.
It also forms the RAF's Quick Reaction Alert force, providing air defence in the UK and across wider Nato airspace when deployed overseas.
As of 1 April 2025, the RAF had 129 Typhoons, of which 107 were in service.
RAF Typhoons have been procured in three tranches, and the incremental drawdown of the older tranche 1 variants began in the spring this year.
Later versions are being upgraded to provide more advanced capabilities, with the expectation that the Typhoon will begin to leave RAF service in 2040.
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