Turkey and Saudi Arabia will strengthen their cooperation in the defense industry, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced Thursday upon his return from his visit to Egypt, confirming that the KAAN stealth fighter has received very positive reviews and that Ankara and Riyadh are considering a possible cooperation agreement on the fifth-generation Turkish aircraft.
“We have received numerous positive comments about the KAAN. There is the possibility of a joint investment with Saudi Arabia in this area: an investment that could become a reality at any time,” the Turkish president told reporters aboard the presidential plane after returning from his official visit to Riyadh and Cairo, where Erdoğan said he held “extremely fruitful” meetings with the leaders and delegations of both countries.
“We have deep relations with Saudi Arabia, with cultural and historical dimensions. To develop them further, we have signed important agreements during this visit. Our country’s progress in the defense industry is being followed with interest by Saudi Arabia, as it is by the rest of the world. Our priority is to meet our own defense needs and, at the same time, to meet those of our friends and brothers,” he said when asked about possible cooperation with the Saudi government in relation to the Turkish national fighter jet KAAN, according to the Turkish news agency Anatolia.
In this regard, the Turkish leader assured that “important cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia in the defense industry” have been signed, also stressing the determination to expand them. “KAAN is not just a fighter jet. KAAN is a symbol of Turkey’s engineering capabilities and its desire for independent defense. We have received numerous compliments about KAAN. As we gain influence globally in this field, such collaborations will undoubtedly increase. In addition, there is the possibility of joint investment with Saudi Arabia in this field,” he announced.
Deals between Ankara and Riyadh on renewable energy
Among the agreements reached during the visit to Saudi Arabia, Erdoğan explained that several “important” deals were signed in the field of renewable energy between the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Energy: “Saudi companies will build solar and wind power plants with a total capacity of 5,000 megawatts in Turkey. In the first phase, 1,000-megawatt solar plants will be built in the provinces of Sivas and Karaman.“
As he explained to reporters, the investments will be made through external financing and international loans, and the electricity will be purchased ”at the lowest prices ever seen in Türkiye.” The two solar projects will cover the electricity needs of 2.1 million households in total. The plants, construction of which will begin in 2027, will be 50% built by Turkey and will contribute significantly to the country’s electrical equipment and services sectors.
The KAAN is a fifth-generation fighter jet developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). It was unveiled to the public in 2023 and made its first test flight in early 2024. Mass production is expected to begin in 2028. Last June, TAI signed an agreement to sell up to 48 units of this fifth-generation Turkish fighter jet to Indonesia, making the Southeast Asian country the first in the world to acquire this state-of-the-art aircraft.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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