Türkiye and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday covering a joint production of the Turkish indigenous Gökbey multirole helicopter, marking the platform's first overseas manufacturing agreement.
The deal was signed during the World Defense Show (WDS) 2026 in Riyadh between Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment and the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI).
The agreement envisages long-term joint production with technology transfer. Under the framework, Saudi authorities will consolidate demand for helicopters for both military and civilian uses, after which TAI will cooperate with a local manufacturer to produce the required helicopters in Saudi Arabia.
The scope and technical details of the joint production will be shaped by the volume and nature of the demand.
Saudi Arabia's localization targets under its Vision 2030 strategy place strong emphasis on developing domestic helicopter capabilities.
Officials say Gökbey's multirole design, suitable for a wide range of missions, played a key role in Saudi Arabia's selection.
Helicopters produced under the partnership are also expected to be marketed to neighboring countries.
Gökbey is Türkiye's first indigenously designed and produced multirole utility helicopter. It's a twin-engine, 6-ton class chopper designed to operate in high altitudes and extreme temperatures.
The agreement on Gökbey comes just days after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Ankara and Riyadh could opt for joint investment in Türkiye's homegrown fifth-generation stealth fighter jet program at "any time."
On Sunday, TAI General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu said negotiations on potential cooperation on the Kaan warplane have recently gained momentum.
"Our work has been continuing for quite a while, and the talks have now been elevated to the final and highest level," Demiroğlu said. "In the coming period, perhaps within this year or even sooner, we hope to share good news."
Kaan is a fifth-generation jet that Türkiye has worked on for almost a decade. The jet was first publicly unveiled in 2023 before it performed its maiden test flight in early 2024. Its serial production is expected to begin in 2028.
Kaan is intended to replace the Air Force Command's aging F-16 fleet, which is expected to begin phasing out in the 2030s.
The aircraft is designed to perform air-to-air combat with next-generation weapons and conduct precision strikes from internal weapon bays at supersonic speeds, supported by artificial intelligence and neural-network systems.
