ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish defense companies are chasing contracts worth several billion dollars in Saudi Arabia, according to Turkish procurement officials.
They The officials said that one Turkish armored vehicles maker, FNSS, is looking to win a contract that may go be worth up to $10 billion. The contract is for the to supply of scores of armored vehicles of various types.
One official said that FNSS could either produce the armored vehicles it hopes to sell to the Gulf kingdom in Turkey or in Saudi Arabia.
Procurement officials also said that Saudi Arabia was interested in two indigenous Turkish systems: the Altay, a new generation main battle tank; and the ANKA, a drone.
The Altay was developed by another armored vehicles maker, Otokar. The government is planning to launch a bidding for its serial production. The ANKA is made by Tusas Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).
The potential contracts were discussed during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's state visit to Saudi Arabia on Dec. 31. Erdogan met with Saudi Arabia's King Salman. Turkey views the Saudi kingdom as an important Sunni ally. Both countries back Syrian opposition fighting to oust Syria's non-Sunni president, Bashar al-Assad.
Erdogan told reporters that the most important steps Turkey and Saudi Arabia are committed to take were in the fields of "commerce and defense industry."
Burak Ege Bekdil was the Turkey correspondent for Defense News.
