SHAH ALAM: Two Turkish defence company CEOs had a meeting with PM DS Ismail Sabri yesterday. The duo were Turkish Aerospace CEO Temel Kotil and MKE CEO Yasin Akdere. They were accompanied by Turkish ambassador to Malaysia Dr. Merve Kavakcı to the meeting held at the PM’s office at Parliament.
The TAI CEO were clearly promoting the company’s products from the Anka, ATAK and the TAI T-FX, based on the models presented to the PM based on pictures published on the Turkish Embassy Twitter posts (below). That said I am not purview to the conversations apart from the pictures published here.
This was the second visit by Kotil to Malaysia within the last few weeks as he was here on Nov. 24 for the opening of TAI’s office in Putrajaya. It was after the opening ceremony he told the Malaysian media that the company was offering its still prototype Hurjet for the RMAF FLIT/LCA programme. And this include assembly of the aircraft in Malaysia.
Earlier in the day, Kotil also signed an MOU with Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology (UniKL MIAT) to collaborate on delivering aerospace educational, technical training and applied research programmes in Malaysia. TAI also signed an MOU with Sirim Bhd aimed at fostering collaboration in developing Aerospace Industry ecosystem.
Apart from meeting with the PM, I was told that the TAI CEO will also be meeting with the Defence Ministry and military officials about their offerings. Interestingly, apart from the Hurjet and Anka, TAI, I am told, is talking on offering the ATAK attack helicopter for the Army Air Wing.
I have no idea why MKE CEO was also in town and his schedule. It is likely that he will also be meeting with the defence and military officials over their products including the newly developed 76mm naval gun and also its wheeled SPH. PM7 in 2019 also visited Turkey where he visited TAI and other Turkish defence companies facilities. His government fell a few months later, which forced TAI and the other Turkish companies to lobby again with the successive Malaysian governments.
— Malaysian Defence
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If they’re game and able to negotiate the treacherous defence ‘ecosystem’ of 🇲🇾, why not? So long as the products work and get delivered, Hallelujah!
Perhaps the Turk CEOs are here to save the local defence landscape from disappearing into oblivion
there are plenty of things we can buy from turkey.
hurkus isn’t one of them
Perhaps a mid range supplier like Turkey is exactly what M’sia needs.
I am not too sure really as they tend to bend over backwards to ensure a sale despite seeing the potential for trouble. I understand the customer is always right but we need at least to ensure the vendor will be as worried about their reputation otherwise…
I just hope whoever will be assembling the LCA will not mess it up like the LCS fiasco. Absolutely rubbish
tom tom – ”is exactly what M’sia needs.”
A clear apolitical realistic long term defence policy is what Malaysia needs.
Long before Turkey even entered into the picture the South Koreans approached us with various offers and partnerships – we could not commit. We are the problem ….
Taib,
The Turks have read us well. They know we have a penchant for buying from fellow Islamic countries [Turkey naturally being secular and more progressive] even if others can supply us with something better and that we are suckers for local production; ToTs and offsets.
It will be very stupid of us to have local assembly for 18 planes
Dassault offered us the same. No way we can recoup the set up costs; the taxpayer will end up being screwed again. Even if we ordered 36 planes it would still not be enough to justify the whole exercise.
Surely no to at best a paper plane. Not tested n development still not completed
Buying from a country with crazy inflation rate is this a right move????
of course this is a wonderful news.Turkey product is the same or bettervthan nato with affordable cost.Unless we stilln like to suck up to western countries which is very expensive.The turks has battle test product that involve wars in four conutries and persisten assymetric war within and just outside their border
Abdul – “Turkey product is the same or bettervthan nato with affordable cost”
Not really. At lot of what Turkey does is still dependent on foreign technology providers and in many areas Western countries are still way ahead. It some ways, especially in the field of MALE UASs and other areas Turkey produces stuff on par but not in other areas.
Abdul – “The turks has battle test product that involve wars in four conutries”
If you want to go on that basis the West and other countries have been testing their products for far longer and in much more tban just 4 countries.