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.

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.