Türkiye's aerospace-defence giant plans to export helicopter to Germany, drone to US PHOTO

Türkiye's aerospace and defence powerhouse, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), is focused on broadening its presence and entering the European market, with the company's CEO emphasising the goal of exporting its Atak helicopters to Germany. 

“Our goal is to increase our exports by 50% this year. As TAI, we especially care about opening up to the European market. I have a dream. As TAI, I want to sell ATAK helicopter to Germany," the CEO of Turkish Aerospace Industries Mehmet Demiroğlu said, Caliber.Az reports via Turkish media. 

The T129 Atak helicopter, recognized as the "most effective" in its class, is versatile and can perform a wide range of tasks, such as anti-armor, armed reconnaissance, ground attack, escort, asymmetrical warfare, fire support, and short-range anti-aircraft missions. It is a twin-engine, tandem-seat, multirole, all-weather attack helicopter designed to meet the Turkish Armed Forces' needs.

Despite global challenges, Demiroğlu emphasized that international demand has risen due to the product's quality, capabilities, and favorable price-performance ratio. 

He pointed out that production capacity has been increased, and export targets for 2024, initially set at $5.5 billion, have now reached $7.2 billion. TAI stands as one of  Türkiye’s leading defense manufacturers and ranked second among Turkish companies with the highest export volumes in 2024.

"Germany is not currently holding official talks with us on these issues. We know that Germany's defense industry is not at the desired level and requires fast solutions. For this reason, I think they will knock on our door one day and I am working toward this goal," he said.

Demiroğlu mentioned that while there is significant potential in Africa, they have not imposed any regional limitations and plan to expand into all markets, including the US.

“We offered the Aksungur UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) to the U.S. to protect the Mexican border," he said. 

"This system, which can stay in the air for two days, could be an effective solution. They were surprised; they were not expecting such an offer,” he added. “Apart from this, we see that companies that did not sell products to Türkiye before now want to work with us,” said Demiroğlu. 

“A company that did not sell cameras to us is now offering cooperation again. I said, 'Where were you until now? We have Aselsan; it does what is necessary and produces cameras,'" he explained. 

"Our priority is domestic products. This shows the point Türkiye has reached in the defense industry,” Demiroğlu remarked.

He also emphasised the significance of mastering and integrating critical technologies, stating that Türkiye does not need to produce everything itself. 

"When NATO officials and defense ministers of different countries visit our facilities, they have difficulty believing what they see. When they understand how far Türkiye has come in this field, they look for ways to cooperate with us,” he concluded.

By Naila Huseynova