Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
Baykar Aviation announced that its new-generation Bayraktar TB2T-AI unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), equipped with a turbo engine and artificial intelligence, reached an altitude of 40,023 feet (12,200 m) during a performance test on Aug. 23. The milestone marked a new altitude record in its class.
Teknofest, Turkey’s flagship defense and technology festival organized by the T3 Foundation — whose board is chaired by Selçuk Bayraktar, son-in-law of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and head of Baykar — kicked off this year with a maritime focus under the theme “Blue Homeland.”
The high-speed target drone Şimşek, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), has been transformed into a kamikaze platform, Defense Industry Presidency chief Haluk Görgün announced on Aug. 22.
Aselsan delivered 47 vehicles for the Steel Dome air defense system at a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Turkey’s parliament will convene on Aug. 29 for an extraordinary session to address Israel’s offensive in Gaza and possible humanitarian aid steps.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least 19 people and damaged infrastructure, including a Turkish-owned Bayraktar drone factory.
The detention of two lawyers in the same Istanbul Municipality corruption file has highlighted different approaches within the judiciary.
The parliamentary National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission held two tense meetings this week, first hearing from Turkey’s bar associations and then from former parliamentary speakers.The MPs on the commission, who had so far avoided direct confrontation, engaged in their first open war of words after bar leaders gave long speeches stressing constitutional rights and the rule of law.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Turkey does not act with hostility unless it faces hostility, stressing that Ankara will not step back if targeted. Commenting on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent statement that “if the sword leaves the sheath, there is no need for words,” Fidan said Turkey will not wait for a threat to materialize across its borders. “We do not threaten unless threatened. If we are faced with hostility, we will not retreat,” he said.
Turkey’s parliament will meet in an extraordinary session on Aug. 29 to discuss Israel’s offensive in Gaza and steps to deliver humanitarian aid.
İsmet Sayhan, former president of the state-owned Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) and a close associate of MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli, has been arrested.
Nusret Yılmaz, one of the attorneys representing jailed Istanbul Mayor and CHP presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu and his wife, Dilek İmamoğlu, has been released under judicial control measures.