Istanbul, Turkiye – Turkiye will accelerate ongoing defense projects and find solutions for the sector’s requirements, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 16th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul, Erdogan said the prototypes will be tested for domestic use and exports.
The four-day event, which started on Tuesday, exhibited cutting-edge technologies, systems and products in the defense and aerospace fields.
Erdogan said the country’s advanced fighter jet Kaan, will make its maiden flight by the end of this year.
For years, he said, Turkiye was unable to use the weapons it imported to fight terrorism.
“We have been subjected to secret and obvious embargoes, we have been the victims of unfair and unlawful restrictions,” he said.
“We have experienced double standards, injustice and disloyalty. In the face of these, we did not give up, we never turned from our path,” Erdogan added.
While the country’s dependence ratio was at 80 percent in the defense field 21 years ago, this ratio is around 20 percent currently, he said.
During the 21-year period, Turkiye has achieved many successes, and manufactured defense products that were once an unimaginable feat, the Turkish president said.