If some have the “iron dome”, Turkey will build the “steel dome”, said Recep Tayyip Erdogan, referring to Israel’s integrated air defense system, the equivalent of which his country is seeking to create. He also said Turkey would develop its missile capabilities by building its own long-range missile.
The Turkish president participated in the handover ceremony to the Turkish Gendarmerie of the Turkish-made Gokbey general-purpose helicopter from the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI), which was targeted by a terrorist attack last week on October 23.
Today’s ceremony had an additional symbolism, as it took place on the day of the 101st anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a national holiday in Turkey.
According to Turkey’s ongoing Gokbey helicopter program, a total of twenty units are expected to be delivered by 2026, including seven to the Ground Forces, four to the Air Force, three to the Gendarmerie, three to the Police and three to the Coast Guard.
Planning also continues for the production of an additional 57 helicopters for the needs of the Turkish Navy. Helicopters of the same type are planned to be delivered to the Ministry of Health to meet the needs of air ambulances. It is estimated that more than 100 helicopters of this type will be built in the coming years.
At the handover ceremony of the first helicopter, Tayyip Erdogan noted, among other things, that Turkey was dependent in the field of defense industry from abroad and experienced “the painful disadvantages” of this dependence, as he characteristically said, during the invasion of Cyprus .
“The process, which started with threats and continued with embargoes, showed the importance of a self-sufficient defense industry for our country,” said the Turkish president.
“Today, the participation rate of the domestic industry has exceeded 80%,” which was about 20%, Recep Tayyip Erdogan added, stressing that Turkey has become a self-sufficient country in this field with more than a thousand domestic defense industry programs and a $100 billion project portfolio, with more than 3,500 companies and more than 90,000 employees in the defense industry.
Turkish companies, including TAI, have made 65% of all sales of armed drones worldwide, he said.
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