Newsletters
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that Türkiye will “swiftly” advance its national defense projects and deepen “win-win” defense cooperation with European allies as part of the Türkiye Century vision.
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan said Türkiye will continue to make history in the defense industry “despite all overt and covert attempts at obstruction.”
Erdogan highlighted the recent opening of the BMC Ankara facility, one of Europe’s top three and the world’s top five tanks and next-generation armored vehicle production sites.
He said the first deliveries of the domestically produced Altay main battle tank have been made to the Turkish Armed Forces, adding that Türkiye’s goal is to deliver 250 Altay tanks within six years.
He thanked BMC, the Defense Industries Secretariat, and project partners for their contributions to the facility’s success.
The president also underlined progress in air defense capabilities, citing meetings with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that led to new defense agreements, including an understanding on the Eurofighter jet supply.
“While accelerating our domestic and national projects, we will strengthen defense cooperation with our European allies on a win-win basis,” Erdogan said.
He reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to its National Combat Aircraft project, KAAN, which will join the Turkish Air Force as scheduled.
“Just as HURJET aims for leadership in its class, KAAN will strive for the top in its category once all processes are complete,” he added.
Erdogan also said Spain’s approval to purchase 45 HURJET aircraft demonstrates Türkiye’s growing confidence in the global defense market.
Addressing Türkiye’s long-standing fight against terrorism, Erdogan said the country does not want “any form of terrorism either within our borders or on our neighbors’ lands.”
He concluded that Türkiye’s growing defense capabilities symbolize national strength and independence: “We are advancing not only for ourselves but also for the security and stability of our region.”
2 min read
