Thanks to the determined steps taken within the last 15 years, Turkey has taken part amongst the countries that meet their defence needs largely through national capabilities. The Turkish defence industry, which has three companies among the world’s top 100 defence industry companies, has become one of the important players in the international defence market and aims to advance these capabilities and achievements by developing defence industry cooperation with friendly and allied countries.

Our strategic alliance with Italy, through which we have cooperated closely in the past and have developed products together, continues based on a win-win situation in the defence sector, and we are strongly motivated to deepen our cooperation with concrete steps in the direction of our common interests.

T129 ATAK Helicopter can be noted as the most important outcome of defence industry cooperation between the two countries. The T129 ATAK helicopter has been effectively used in operations by the Turkish Armed Forces since 2014 and has demonstrated its proven success in the battlefield.  It is now being exported to third countries.  As the Turkish side, it is our wish that our cooperation in Rotating Wing systems will continue in an increasing manner also in the level of sales to other countries by taking into account Turkey’s growing design and technology capabilities for the development of new platforms.

The T129 ATAK Helicopter, which we are proud of, is not the only output of defence industry cooperation between Turkey and Italy. Our cooperation was built in the areas of aviation/aerospace, arm and ammunition, maritime and electronic warfare within the scope of other projects, the deliveries of which were completed in the past; and in recent years we have strengthened our cooperation with our partnership in space-satellite technologies (GÖKTÜRK Project), Maritime Patrol Airplanes (MELTEM-3 Project) and in the F-35 Project, an international consortium project. In addition, our efforts continue with efficiency within the scope of the contract signed by the Eurosam Consortium-Aselsan-Roketesan partnership (where Italian MBDA is a partner) as a stage of the Long-Range Air and Missile Defence System Project.

I would like to emphasize once more through this platform that we are ready for cooperation to strengthen our Turkey-Italy defence industry ties that we built decisively and diligently as well as to expand our trade volume and to deepen our strategic alliance by ensuring an increase in the number of cooperation projects in the defence industry in which both countries will meet on common ground with mutual benefits.