Pakistani official eyes cooperation with Türkiye on UAVs, advanced fighters

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Saying that the defense industries of Türkiye and Pakistan have been working together for more than two decades, the Pakistani secretary for defense production added that the two countries will consolidate their work and look ahead to new fields, including unmanned aerial vehicles and advanced fighters.

Turkish-Pakistani relations have expanded "exponentially" over the last decade, Humayun Aziz told Anadolu.

He stressed that Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Pakistani Karachi Shipyard, and Turkish defense firm STM have established ties.

Karachi Shipyard and STM are building Milgem Plus warships in Pakistan, and the two countries will work on submarines as well, he underlined during the 16th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul, Türkiye’s commercial capital.

He added that new frontiers include unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and advanced fighters, "because already we are progressing a lot in the submarines and shipbuilding."

Türkiye and Pakistan are also working together in the military side on small arms and other projects, he noted.

- Working for new capabilities

On the technology side, the two countries have a good understanding and they are working on certain advanced designs, Aziz said.

He said: "The defense industry is actively cooperating with us for work on new design capabilities which also includes artificial intelligence and new techniques."

On the current IDEF defense fair, which runs through Friday, Aziz said the event is growing from strength to strength.

"Our relations are continuous, but definitely these exhibitions provide us an opportunity to see a lot of products on one platform in one day," he highlighted.

He said many people visited Pakistan's pavilion at the event, adding: "We have some tremendous capabilities in missile technology, aircraft technology, (and) unmanned combat vehicle technologies. So I see a lot of interest of people in things that we are presenting."