Czech companies deepen cooperation with Turkish partners in air defense
15.06.2026 / 09:34 | Aktualizováno: 15.06.2026 / 10:00
From 7 to 10 June 2025, a delegation of representatives of Czech defense industry companies, focused on air defense and counter-drone protection, visited Ankara. The main part of the program consisted of meetings with major Turkish companies, visits to production facilities, and live demonstrations of products. At the same time, both Czech and Turkish partners attended a ceremonial reception marking the Czech Armed Forces Day.
The defense industry is one of the main pillars of the Turkish economy. The sector operates under strong, centralized and effective state control; nevertheless, Turkish manufacturers are open to mutually beneficial cooperation with foreign companies.
On Monday, 8 June 2026, the 5th meeting of the Czech–Turkish Joint Commission in the field of the defense industry took place in Ankara, with the participation of high-level representatives of the Czech Ministry of Defence. In this context, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ankara, in cooperation with the Czech Defence Attaché, organized an economic diplomacy support project in the form of the Czech–Turkish Industry Day, which included B2G and B2B meetings between defense industry companies from both countries. The following day featured visits to Turkish production facilities, including presentations of products in action. In addition to the professional/networking component, the program also included a social dimension—on the evening of 9 June 2026, a ceremonial reception was held at the Ambassador’s residence to mark the Czech Armed Forces Day, attended by approximately 250 guests from the Turkish business sector, armed forces of various countries, and the diplomatic corps.
The companies Excalibur Army, Excalibur International, Omnipol, Optokon, Crytur and HiLASE presented themselves to Turkish partners. At the same time, the opportunity to participate in the Future Air Force Conference (FAFC), which will take place in Prague from 20 to 22 October 2026, was introduced. On the Turkish side, the state agency SSB (Defence Industry Agency), responsible for procurement for the Turkish armed forces and state-owned companies, and the companies Aselsan, Roketsan, STM, MKE, Dasal, TUSAŞ (TAI), SkyDagger/Baykar, Artron, Havelsan, Boğaziçi Defense (Ilter) and Meteksan took part. Both Turkish and Czech representatives mutually appreciated the level and quality of each other’s production.
The goal of the project was to effectively build on the existing successful activities of Czech companies on the Turkish market, including presentations at international defense and aerospace trade fairs in Istanbul (SAHA EXPO, IDEF). The meetings led to the establishment of new personal contacts, the strengthening of existing ones, and consultations that should enable Czech companies to secure concrete contracts in the highly promising Turkish market.
Roman Seidl
Head of the Economic and Commercial Section
Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ankara