Turkish pilots have begun flight training as part of the country's procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, according to the National Defense Ministry.

In a post on Turkish social media platform NSosyal, the ministry said Wednesday that the training process began in August under the agreement signed with the United Kingdom.

It said Turkish Air Force pilots successfully completed their terminology training and have begun flight training.

The agreement signed in late October last year covers 20 Eurofighter jets that Türkiye will buy from the U.K. The deal is worth about 8 billion pounds ($10.8 billion).

This March, the countries signed a technical and logistical agreement for the maintenance and operation of the warplanes.

Britain, a leading partner in the Eurofighter program, had been Türkiye's most vocal supporter, and the agreement followed long negotiations to overcome a German objection to the sale.

Türkiye's interest in the Typhoon was first reported in 2022, as Ankara grew frustrated with prolonged negotiations over the acquisition of F-16 fighter jets from the U.S.

Türkiye is scheduled to receive the first of the batch of Typhoons in 2030. The deal provides the option for the sale of more jets in the future.

In addition, Türkiye also plans to purchase 12 secondhand jets from Qatar and 12 others from Oman.

Meanwhile, Türkiye is developing its own fifth-generation fighter jet. Named Kaan, the stealth fighter is sought to replace the Air Force Command's aging F-16 fleet, which is planned to be phased out starting in the 2030s.