Indigenous aircraft spread their wings at Turkish TEKNOFEST

Turkish-made air vehicles take to the skies to show their skills in major tech event

Turkey showed off its locally made aircraft during the country’s largest technology and aviation event TEKNOFEST, said Selcuk Bayraktar, chairman of the Turkish Technology Team Foundation, the event organizer, on Tuesday. The helicopters Atak and Gokbey, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Akinci and Bayraktar TB2, and training plane Hurkus took part in air shows, Bayraktar told reporters. These vehicles were designed indigenously and uniquely, including their electronic parts, software, mechanical parts, and aerodynamic profile, he stressed. This was the first time that UAVs and aircraft put on a show together for TEKNOFEST, Bayraktar said. Mentioning the event’s competitions in several different areas, such as UAVs, jet engines, and smart cities, Bayraktar said there was a team which competed at the event in years past which went on to develop its technology and then hit $1 million in annual revenues. Telling how the event broke a record by hosting 1.7 million visitors in 2019, he said this year’s festival also saw massive interest and attendance. In 2020, the event was held virtually due to the pandemic. He also said TEKNOFEST offers a better experience for visitors this year.