President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan made claims during the news conference on defence sector cooperation
with NATO member Spain, including purchasing an aircraft carrier and
potentially a submarine.
Erdoğan stressed that
the two nations could develop an aircraft carrier and unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs).
President Erdoğan described the TCG Anadolu LHD as a small-scale aircraft carrier, saying Turkey and Spain have already collaborated on building a Spanish ship and said, "The first aircraft carrier was not a large-scale one." We have decided to build a large-scale one (carrier). Hopefully, we will be able to build a huge aircraft carrier after the present aircraft carrier, and we may also be able to join the submarine market with it."
"There is so much
we can achieve in the defence industry, particularly (concerning) armed and
unarmed, unmanned aerial vehicles," President Erdoğan stated. He didn't go
on to say anything more.
Erdoğan and Sanchez
supervised the signing of six agreements spanning renewable energy, disaster
response, and sports collaboration.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan has
declined to comment on claims that Russia has begun providing technology to
Turkey for its S-400 missile defence systems.
The US fiercely
opposed Turkey's acquisition of Russian technology and forced Ankara to abandon
its F-35 fighter aircraft development. It also sanctioned several Turkish
defence officers.
Spanish, state owned
Navantia Shipyard constructed the Juan Carlos 1 LHD for Spanish Navy Armada
Española. The design is also used at the Turkish LHD TCG Anadolu vessel.