The British government will support an Airbus contract to manufacture and deliver two satellites for Turkish communications company Türksat, trade minister Liam Fox said yesterday.

"UK Export Finance will support an Airbus Defence and Space UK contract worth nearly $500 million to manufacture and deliver two satellites and a ground station for Türksat," Fox told parliament.

Fox's department said UK Export Finance was providing a guarantee to support a loan of $325 million to the Turkish Treasury and Finance Ministry to enable the purchase. Türksat CEO Cenk Şen said in a statement the satellites would be used to provide television services and improve broadband data services in Turkey, the Middle East, Europe and large regions of Africa.