Türkiye's aviation and defense firm TUSAŞ (Turkish Aerospace Industries -TAI) and the U.K.-based defense giant BAE Systems signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for uncrewed air systems.
The strategic agreement included cooperation in unmanned aerial systems and related technologies, TUSAŞ said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal on Nov. 6.
"Under the signed Memorandum of Understanding, both parties will target joint opportunities in the field of future uncrewed air systems," TUSAŞ said.
The agreement builds on the strong existing relationship between both companies and will allow us to bring our already proven uncrewed systems capabilities to new heights, commented Mehmet Demiroğlu, CEO of TUSAŞ.
Last month, TUSAŞ signed another MoU with Airbus to strengthen defense cooperation.
TUSAŞ is the producer of Türkiye's first homegrown fighter jet KAAN, jet trainer Hürjet, indigenous helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
In late October, Spain approved the purchase of Türkiye’s first domestically produced jet trainer and light attack aircraft, Hürjet.
In a statement, the Spanish government said it had authorized a 3.12-billion-euro ($3.6 billion) contract for an Integrated Training System for Combat (ITS-C) aircraft to replace the country’s existing AE.09 (F5) fleet.
The deal includes the acquisition of 45 Hürjet aircraft from Türkiye.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2028, with the first aircraft expected to enter service in the 2029-2030 training cycle. The Hürjets are projected to remain in service for at least 30 years.
