General Manager of Turkish defense giant STM, Davut Yılmaz, where Turkey was the guest of honor at the Armed Forces Exhibition for Diversity of Requirements and Capabilities (AFED) hosted in Riyadh, shared the country’s experience in production and localization of the defense industry.
Turkey now boasts 65 percent self-sufficiency in defense and aims to further increase this. Previously, Turkey procured foreign-made weapons systems but in the past decade has become a producer, co-producer and partner in making defense systems.
Yılmaz said that the delegations attending AFED were predominantly Saudi but groups of neighboring countries were also in attendance. General Zulkiple Bin Hj Kassim, the commander of the Malaysia Land Forces, visited the STM stand to receive information about their defense products.
Yılmaz expressed that an export to Saudi Arabia or a project to be carried out there would be used or exemplified by other countries.
He also stated that Saudi Arabia was an important country with which ties over the recent years have strengthened. "Therefore, it is necessary to make it at least a little more concrete in terms of defense,” he said.
The general manager said negotiations regarding sales to Saudi Arabia regarding unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), primarily kamikaze drones, were continuing positively. STM introduced the Autonomous Attack Drone Kargu, also known as the kamikaze drone, which is designed to detect and strike enemy personnel and light armored vehicles.
Yılmaz said various projects regarding cyber security and aviation certificates were being worked on and that they would be signed soon.
Yılmaz said that STM and other Turkish firms can play a role in helping Saudi Arabia achieve its 2030 vision. Yılmaz also said that the National Ship (MİLGEM) project, which was being discussed with Saudi Arabia for three years, was nearing completed. He said a signed agreement could emerge by summer and that there appeared to be no problems.
AFED displays the requirements of the huge number of participants that include ministries, government organizations and private sectors as part of the process to achieve the goals outlined in Vision 2030, and Saudi’s direction toward a strategy to localize major and supplementary industries.
