Turkey's Defense Industry Executive Committee meets

By llkay Guder

ANKARA

The Turkish Defense Industry Executive Committee met at the presidential complex on Tuesday, the first such meeting since Turkey's switch to a presidential system of government.

At the meeting, according to presidential sources, projects worth a total of $13.5 billion were evaluated.

Participants also discussed how the Turkish ATAK helicopter would be upgraded with new capabilities, as well as new projects for unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), added the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

New indigenous systems will be added to defense projects as well, said the sources.

The three-hour-plus meeting was chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Also attending were Vice President Fuat Oktay, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Chief of Staff Gen. Yasar Guler, and Defense Industries Undersecretary Ismail Demir.