Erdoğan hails Turkish defense sector

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Dec. 2 stated that the national naval artillery is equipped with a digital fire control system developed with domestic and national means and that the Turkish Naval Forces will have much stronger and more effective mobility once this weapon system is included in the inventory.

“I am very pleased to be with you on a day of historical importance for the Turkish defense industry,” Erdoğan said in a video message sent to the “MKE Sea Cannon Land Shooting” Program.

Expressing his wish that the national sea cannon land fire tests will be successful, Erdoğan noted that the sea cannon is the weapon system that stands out as an indispensable element of the navies.

Pointing out that these weapon systems, which are the striking power of warships, play critical roles in combat, Erdoğan said that Turkey added naval artillery to its efforts to localize the defense industry about a year ago.

“As in other fields, we aimed to eliminate the foreign dependency of our country in sea cannon. Especially in the last period, serious problems had started being experienced in the costs and in the delivery times of the products coming from abroad. We were also exposed to many visible and invisible embargoes and blocking attempts,” the president stated.

Pointing out that the project is one of the best examples of public-private cooperation, Erdoğan said the project was successful with the joint efforts of the General Directorate of Machinery, Chemical Industry and Shipyards, and the companies İğrek Makine, ANZATSAN Engineering, and ERMAKSAN Technology.

At the end of the process Turkey produced its national sea cannon in a record time of 12 months, he said.

With the national naval cannon it developed, Turkey has now become one of the few countries to produce this weapon system, Erdoğan said.

The national sea cannon has an effective range of 16 kilometers, he said, emphasizing that Turkey’s navy has become stronger thanks to this weapon, which can fire 80 shots per minute with five different shooting modes.

The national naval gun is equipped with a digital fire control system developed with domestic and national resources, unlike the systems currently used, he added.

“With the entry of this weapon system into the inventory, the Turkish Naval Forces will gain much stronger and more effective mobility. In addition, the high costs and hidden embargoes encountered in procurement from abroad will now be a thing of the past,” Erdoğan added.