Turkey racks up $150M in defense exports to Tunisia

By Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish defense industry racked up impressive exports totaling $150 million to Tunisia at year’s-end, the head of the country's Defense Industries Presidency (SSB) said on Thursday.

Under SSB coordination, “a total of five companies have exported various vehicles such as tankers and tanks, electro-optic systems to the country, which will be at the service of Tunisian security forces," Ismail Demir said on Twitter, saying the SSB held a defense industry cooperation meeting with Tunisia via video link.

The products include Turkish Aerospace Industries' (TAI) Anka medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), BMC’s Kirpi mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicle, Nurol Makina’s Ejder Yalcin armored vehicles, various Katmerciler vehicles such as tankers and tanks, and Turkish defense giant ASELSAN’s electro-optic systems.

The Turkish government has long sought to make the nation a global player in the defense industry, with the technology-oriented and research-and-development-based defense industry policies gaining momentum every day, according to Demir.