Türkiye aims fully independent defense industry: Erdoğan

ÇANKIRI

Türkiye will continue its efforts to achieve complete independence in the defense industry, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday.

"We will not stop or turn back from our path until we achieve the goal of a fully independent Türkiye in the defense industry,"  Erdoğan said at a rally in the northern province of Çankırı.

Erdoğan also informed that KAAN, Türkiye’s fifth-generation homegrown fighter aircraft, will be delivered in 2028 and will protect "our skies” from this date onwards.

"Despite all kinds of embargoes, our fifth-generation fighter aircraft KAAN successfully completed its first flight, he said, adding that the KAAN instilled trust in "our allies and fear in our enemies." 

Produced by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ), the national jet elevates Türkiye into the league of few nations capable of developing fifth-generation aircraft.

"From Asia to Europe and America, those who know what it means to have this technology are following KAAN very closely," he said. 

He added that Türkiye had begun plans to build "an even larger aircraft carrier following the TCG Anadolu," which entered service in Türkiye's navy in 2023. 

Erdoğan emphasized that Turkish-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are in use in nearly 50 countries, saying they are critical to Türkiye's fight against terrorism. 

He stated that there would be no safe haven for terrorist groups, emphasizing that Turkish security forces can detect terrorists beyond the country's borders, approximately 300–350 kilometers (185-220 miles) away, and "neutralize" them "when they least expect it."

"We exact a heavy price, in equal measure, from these packs of killers who take aim at our state and attack the children of our homeland," he said.