Turkey’s defense industry offers lessons for South Africa, researcher says – Turkish Minute

Turkey’s defense industry offers lessons for South Africa, researcher says  Turkish Minute

Türkmen Terzi, Pretoria South Africa can learn from Turkey’s success in linking research, military demand and weapons production to reduce its reliance on foreign technology, a researcher at South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has said. Mphahlela James Thaba, who manages the CSIR’s technology for special operations program, spoke at the Africa […] South Africa can learn from Turkey’s success in linking research, military demand and weapons production to reduce its reliance on foreign technology, a researcher at South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has said. Mphahlela James Thaba, who manages the CSIR’s technology for special operations program, spoke at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) Conference in Pretoria on September 17.

The conference was part of the AAD 2026 exhibition, which ended Sunday. Thaba said Turkey’s leading defense companies owed their growth to the connections among researchers, industry and the military, rather than individual corporate achievements alone. “Sustained research and engineering, predictable domestic demand, targeted technology development and operational feedback created the conditions in which companies such as Baykar, ASELSAN, TAI and ROKETSAN could grow,” he said. Baykar makes the Bayraktar TB2 and Akıncı armed drones. ASELSAN develops defense electronics, including radar, communications and electronic warfare systems. Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) develops aircraft, helicopters and drones, including the KAAN fighter jet, while ROKETSAN