IZMIR, Türkiye

Türkiye is in talks with more countries after a recent deal to export its homegrown turbojet missile engines to Brazil, the chair of Turkish firm the Kale Group told Anadolu.

Osman Okyay said Türkiye has made tremendous progress in domestic jet engine production, and that the Kale Group has been working on jet engines since 2012 with three different types that have already entered mass production.

“This year marks our second year of mass jet engine production, and in addition to our cruise missile engines, we have four different engine development projects underway as we work towards meeting Türkiye’s engine needs in cruise missiles, jets, and kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),” he said on the sidelines of an Aegean Industrialists’ Association investment summit in the coastal city of Izmir.

Jet engines are among the most difficult defense products to produce, with only a handful of countries around the world that can make them, but soon Türkiye will join their ranks, said Okyay.

“Brazil is developing a cruise missile, but it doesn’t have the engine as engines are relatively hard to find,” he said, referring to the April export deal with Brazil for Türkiye's KTJ-3200 turbojet missile engine.

“We’re currently in export negotiations with 10-12 countries, and we may sign export deals with one or two new countries this year,” he said.

Sibel Zorlu, the Aegean group’s chair, told Anadolu that the Turkish defense and aviation industries drive the country’s economic growth, noting that the Aegean region and the city of Izmir in particular have significant potential for the sector.

“With its free zones, various technoparks, research and development centers, the Technology Development Zone technopark, and more, Izmir could become one of the key hubs in defense and aviation, thanks to its qualified workforce and capital,” she said.