Turkish defense firms to attend int’l fair in Malaysia
ISTANBUL
Turkish defense companies, including Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), will participate at 17th Defense Service Asia Exhibition and Conference in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Anka and Hürjet, an advanced trainer jet, will be showcased at the exhibiton between March 28 and 31.
TAI will will compete with countries like China and the U.S. to win tenders for drones. Sensing an opportunity, TAI opened an office last November in Selangor, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
The company aims to carry out joint studies in various areas such as UAV, jet trainer, original helicopter development, structural capabilities, and modernization programs that will contribute to the development of the aviation ecosystem.
“In our tech center in Malaysia, we aim to carry out significant studies with Malaysian engineers to enhance the two countries’ capacities in the field of aviation and space industry,” Temel Kotil, the company’s CEO, said.
Established in 1973, Turkish Aerospace is the center of technology in design, development, manufacturing, integration of aerospace systems, and modernization in Turkey.
Ankara-based TAI has a production plant covering an area of 4 million square meters with an industrial facility of 640,000 square meters under its roof.
In November 2021 reached a basic agreement with Kazakhstan for its Anka drones.
Aksungur, TAI’s next-generation armed drone, which joined the Turkish military’s inventory last year, can fly 50 hours and features sonobuoy options, rare for a drone. Equipped with advanced detectors and sensors, it can perform anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrolling missions, a good fit for Indo-Pacific countries.
Turkish defense companies, including the manufacturer of Bayraktar drones, have eyes on Asian markets for exports.
“China will not be willing to sell drones to many countries in its neighborhood, and we are providing those countries a better option.” Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar Defense, Nikkei Asia earlier this month.
Like in Azerbaijan, Syria and Libya, videos of the armed Bayraktar TB-2, manufactured by Baykar, taking out Russian tanks, armored vehicles and surface-to-air missile defense systems have been widely shared on social media.
Since the drone was first exported to Qatar in 2018, the TB-2 has secured 19 export deals, including Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. Six new deals have been added in the past three months alone.
Baykar is currently working on a next-generation TB-3 drone that can take off and land from aircraft carriers and landing helicopter dock-class vessels. It plans to unveil the first TB-3 within this year, before the TCG Anadolu, Turkey’s first LHD-class vessel, is commissioned by the end of the year.
“The upcoming TB-3 will be a great fit for Japan’s Izumo-class platforms” the Haluk Bayraktar said, referring to Japan’s multipurpose destroyer, which analysts call a de facto aircraft carrier.
Özgür Güleryüz, CEO of STM, another Turkish defense contractor, told Nikkei Asia his company also will be attending the defense exhibition in Malaysia with a range of products including the Kargu rotary-wing attack drone.
“We see interest toward our loitering munitions including Kargu from Asia and are currently in contact with various Asian countries,” he said.
Turkey’s defense export revenues exceeded $3 billion last year and this year they could overpass $4 billion, İsmail Demir, the head of the Defense Industries Presidency, said in an interview with private broadcaster CNNTürk on March 5.
