Türkiye has made significant progress in advanced combat aircraft development while some European programs are still moving through earlier stages, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) CEO Mehmet Demiroğlu has said.
Speaking at a conference at the Turkish Embassy in Berlin, Demiroğlu pointed to the KAAN national combat aircraft, which made its first flight in February 2024, as a sign of Türkiye’s growing aerospace capacity.
He contrasted KAAN’s progress with Europe’s Tempest and FCAS programs, saying those projects had moved more slowly.
Demiroğlu said TAI had developed 13 original platforms since 2005 and expanded its facilities into a 4 million-square-meter campus in Ankara.
The company employs 16,300 people, he said.
Demiroğlu also said TAI had become an important supplier in global civil aviation, producing structural components for Airbus aircraft.
He added that the company was operating Europe’s second-largest subsonic wind tunnel for aerodynamic testing.
Türkiye’s aerospace ambitions also extend into space technologies, Demiroğlu said, pointing to the spaceport project under construction in Somalia.
He said the facility would support Türkiye’s independent launch capability at a time of growing global competition in space.
Demiroğlu also said the company had started to reverse the brain drain seen in the early 2020s, with more skilled workers returning to Türkiye and TAI than leaving.
He called on young professionals abroad to return and contribute to the country’s expanding aerospace and defense ecosystem.
Türkiye has increased investment in domestic defense and aerospace projects in recent years, with KAAN, Hürjet, Hürkuş, Gökbey and other platforms forming part of efforts to strengthen technological independence.
