Turkish defense firms back domestic medical ventilator

Turkish defense firms are supporting the domestic production of medical ventilators which are critical in treating COVID-19.

With severe shortness of breath a hallmark of the novel coronavirus, the global pandemic has increased the need for medical ventilators, resulting in fresh impetus across the globe to research and manufacture the devices.

A Turkish technology venture, BIOSYS, has produced the first indigenous medical ventilator device after a five-year research and development efforts.

Selcuk Bayraktar, the chief technology officer of unmanned aerial vehicle producer Baykar, said on Sunday that his company ordered 250 ventilator devices from BIOSYS to support the company.

Baykar will donate these devices for the government to use in hospitals or send to friendly nations, Bayraktar said on Twitter. Bayraktar also heads the T3 Foundation -- the organizer of the country's largest aviation and technology event Teknofest.

"I invite all our Teknofest stakeholders and those who want to contribute, to participate in this campaign as much as possible, during a period when the importance of developing domestic and national technologies is revealed," he added.

After the invitation, Turkey's defense giants Aselsan and Havelsan, as well as aviation company TAI announced that they would also support BIOSYS.

Haluk Gorgun, the CEO of Aselsan, said the defense company had also ordered 250 devices from BIOSYS.

"We have decided not only to order the device, but also to provide engineering and infrastructure support to all domestic and national companies, which are making production in this field," he noted.

Ahmet Hamdi Atalay, the general manager of Havelsan, said the company would also support the production of the indigenous device.

TAI will also participate in the campaign, Temel Kotil, the head of the company, announced.

After the firms' messages of support, Mustafa Varank, the country's minister of technology and industry, tweeted that the ministry would continue with its national technology movement in the health sector.