A visitor looks at a Turkish made military drone, Akinci, on display at the SAHA International Defense and Aerospace exhibition in Istanbul, May 5. [AP]
Turkey has expanded the international reach of its defense industry through a series of agreements focused on the joint development and production of military systems with partners in Europe, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Asia.
In recent days, Ankara signed seven agreements and contracts with companies from Europe, Canada and Asia covering the co-development of defense technologies. Among the most notable were agreements involving the development of unmanned underwater systems with Canada, cooperation on artificial intelligence with the United Arab Emirates and drone manufacturing projects with Italy.
The agreements were highlighted during the recent SAHA international defense exhibition in Istanbul, where Turkish companies sought to deepen their presence in European markets and across the European Union.
One of the most widely publicized agreements was signed between Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar and France’s Safran. The deal will integrate French-made Euroflir electro-optical systems into Bayraktar TB-2 unmanned aerial vehicles. The cooperation also includes navigation and tracking systems as well as smart munitions. According to sources, Athens has protested the development to Paris.
