Turkish Aerospace Industries expands defense ties with Malaysia

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is deepening its defense partnerships with Malaysia, CEO Mehmet Demiroglu announced on the sidelines of the Defense Services Asia (DSA) 2026 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited the TAI booth and signed a full-scale model of the TAI Hurjet jet trainer on display.

Strong ties with UAVs and Hurjet program

Demiroglu noted that TAI has strong ties with Malaysia, particularly following the delivery of three ANKA unmanned aerial vehicles to the Malaysian Air Force. “Our work with Malaysia continues with UAVs and the Hurjet program,” he said. “We have a TAI office in the country with more than 120 workers, serving as a bridge between Türkiye and Malaysia.” He added that other Turkish defense firms are expected to participate in new and larger projects in the region.

Malaysia as key defense partner

Demiroglu described Malaysia as a key defense partner for Türkiye, calling it “one of the leading developing countries and in many respects a developed country with close ties with Türkiye in the defense sector.” He noted that the expo attracted massive interest and expressed confidence that TAI and Türkiye’s defense industry will bring even larger projects to life in the coming years.