Istanbul January 27 2025: Turkey’s government is hoping to reach a $6 billion defense deal with Saudi Arabia that could see the kingdom buy warships, tanks and missiles, according to Turkish officials familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
A deal — including Saudi Arabia joining a Turkish jet-building project — could be finalized during a visit President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to make to the kingdom around March, the officials said.
Turkey is trying to grow its defense industry and sees Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s biggest importers of arms, as a key market. The two countries signed a deal in 2023 for the Saudis to buy high-flying drones from Turkish company Baykar.
Now, Ankara wants to sell its main battle tank, called Altay, to Saudi Arabia along with missile defense systems, the officials said.
In addition, it’s keen for Saudi Arabia to become a parter in a Turkish program to develop a fighter jet known as Kaan. While the first test flight happened early last year, it’s still expected to take several years to become operational. Other countries may also join the project — in which BAE Systems is involved — in some form, according to the Turkish officials.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to visit Saudi Arabia this week and will likely discuss the deal, the officials said.
The Saudi government didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Turkey’s Defense Ministry declined to comment.
Ties between Riyadh and Ankara have improved in recent years after being strained by the 2018 killing at the hands of Saudi agents of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
