Airbus, Turkish defense contractor agree to cooperate

Turkey's major weapons manufacturer to work on military aerospace projects with European multinational.

Airbus, Turkish defense contractor agree to cooperate
Major Turkish weapons manufacturer Roketsan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus Defense and Space to explore opportunities in military aerospace activities. The agreement, signed at an aerospace fair in Berlin, will see the two companies initially exchanging business and technical information with the aim of verifying possible areas of cooperation, according to a statement released by Roketsan on Wednesday.

The envisaged activities include combat air systems, weapon integration and future combat systems including Turkey's first indigenous fighter jet, the TF-X, and may extend into other areas. 

Selcuk Yasar, Roketsan CEO and president, said: "We look forward to exploring a range of cooperation opportunities including the feasibility of integrating our weapon systems -- such as the Stand-Off Missile SOM -- on current Airbus Defense and Space platforms as well as on future combat systems.

"We hope the result of this initiative will lead to broader business cooperation in the future between the two companies."

Domingo Ureña Raso, head of military aircraft in Airbus Defense and Space, said that the company was impressed by Roketsan’s achievements in aerospace and looked forward to exploring possible grounds for collaboration in the years ahead, as Airbus seeks to expand its relationship with Turkish industry.
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