Türkiye's aerospace and defense giant, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) eyes expanding its reach and opening up to the European market as the chief executive of the company highlighted the aim of selling 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 told an interview with a Turkish daily on Sunday.
The T129 Atak helicopter, dubbed the "most effective" attack helicopter in its class, can be used in various roles, including anti-armor, armed reconnaissance, ground attack, escort, asymmetrical, fire support and short-range anti-aircraft missions.
It is a twin-engine, tandem-seat, multirole, all-weather attack helicopter developed for the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces.
Despite global difficulties, Demiroğlu maintained that demand from abroad has increased thanks to the quality, capability, and price-performance balance of the products. He noted that capacity has been expanded, and the export figures determined for 2024, which were $5.5 billion, have reached $7.2 billion.
TAI is one of the country's top defense manufacturers and it was second on the list of Turkish firms with the largest volume of exports 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.
Stating that there is a serious opening in Africa, but they have not made any regional restrictions and that they intend to open up to every market, including the U.S., Demiroğlu said, “We offered the Aksungur UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) to the U.S. to protect the Mexican border."
"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.
Meanwhile, he also underscored the importance of the ability to master and integrate critical technologies but saying, “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.
