ISTANBUL, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Türkiye's defense export target is to exceed 6 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.
Speaking at a technology festival in the western province of Izmir, Erdogan said his country has been implementing 850 different defense projects.
"With our defense industry initiatives, our exports are increasing exponentially," Erdogan said, addressing the visitors at TEKNOFEST, Türkiye's biggest aviation, space, and technology fair.
The president noted that his country has been rapidly completing the tests of Kizilelma, a fighter drone capable of firing air-to-air missiles.
"With Kizilelma entering the inventory, we will break new ground in this field," he said, adding that Türkiye has also been taking steps in the production of the 5th-generation combat aircraft KAAN.
The Turkish leader also recalled that in April, Türkiye commissioned its largest ship, TCG Anadolu, an amphibious assault vessel of the Turkish Navy that can be configured as a landing helicopter dock and a drone carrier.
Erdogan stated that his country achieved 4.5 billion dollars in defense exports in 2022, affirming that the target for this year is to exceed 6 billion dollars.
