The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has put the national combat aircraft KAAN on its radar. TAI General Manager Demiroğlu revealed that the UAE is interested in the KAAN project. Sharing the information about the contract signed for Hurkus, Demiroğlu announced that discussions are ongoing for the Atak helicopter.

One of the world’s most important defense industry fairs, IDEX 2025, has started in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Turkish defense industry companies received significant attention at the fair. Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TAI) became a focal point for both UAE officials and senior delegations from around the world. Speaking to TRT Haber, TAI General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu emphasized that TAI is a strong player in the UAE market. Demiroğlu stated that they are working on different projects with both public institutions and private companies.

AGREEMENT FOR HÜRKUŞ
Sharing the information about a contract signed between Calidus, based in the United Arab Emirates, and TAI, Demiroğlu said, “We have reached an agreement on how we can develop the ‘Hürkuş’ together, what kind of aircraft they produce and how we can jointly develop them. We will sign the agreement.”

DELIVERY DATE FOR KAAN 2028
Making statements about the national combat aircraft KAAN, Demiroğlu stated that many domestic defense industry companies are involved in this project.

Demiroğlu said, “It is quite reasonable to involve external partners in such a major project. As reflected in the public, we are working very closely with Saudi Arabia on this issue. There may be developments for other countries as well. Even the United Arab Emirates could be added to the list. They told us this at a high level yesterday and mentioned that they would be interested.” Demiroğlu also added that work is ongoing for the second and third prototypes of KAAN, stating that the second prototype will take off by the end of this year and the third prototype at the beginning of the new year. Demiroğlu pointed out to the year 2028 for the first delivery of KAAN.

DISCUSSIONS HELD FOR ATAK

Demiroğlu emphasized that the UAE is closely interested in the ATAK helicopter, stating, “They have tested ATAK 1 before and liked it very much. Then they came to Turkey with a high-level delegation and experienced it firsthand. At that time, they were also very impressed by the capabilities of the ATAK. However, the process slowed down a bit afterwards. We are now trying to accelerate it. In this context, we have had some discussions.” Demiroğlu also mentioned that the United Arab Emirates has a serious intention regarding ANKA-3, and expressed that TAI and the UAE could produce a joint air platform.