Turkey and Saudi Arabia have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly produce Turkey’s domestically developed Gökbey multi-purpose helicopter in the kingdom, marking another step in deepening defense cooperation between the two countries.
The agreement was signed on Tuesday during the World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh between Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), the Saudi Ministry of Investment and the General Authority for Military Industries. It paves the way for the local production of the Gökbey helicopter in Saudi Arabia, subject to demand and further arrangements.
The memorandum was signed on behalf of TAI by Gökhan Uçar, deputy head of Turkey’s Presidency of the Defense Industry and a board member of TAI.
Under the framework agreement, Saudi authorities will assess military and civilian helicopter needs, while TAI will work with a local partner to manufacture the aircraft in Saudi Arabia. Officials said the scope and scale of joint production would be shaped by these requirements, with an emphasis on technology transfer and long-term industrial cooperation.
Saudi Arabia has identified helicopter systems as a priority under its Vision 2030 localization strategy, which aims to diversify the economy, reduce import reliance and boost local content, targeting over 50 percent localization in key sectors like defense and 40 percent in pharmaceuticals.
Turkish officials said Gökbey’s multi-role design was a key factor in the decision, adding that jointly produced helicopters could also be exported to neighboring countries.
The T625 Gökbey is a twin-engine light utility helicopter developed by TAI as part of Turkey’s drive to reduce reliance on foreign defense suppliers. The program began in 2013, with the prototype making its maiden flight in 2018. Deliveries to the Turkish armed forces started in late 2024.
#GÖKBEY pic.twitter.com/1lmF5YFpQS
— Turkish Aerospace (@TUSAS_EN) January 26, 2026
The first T625 was delivered to the Turkish gendarmerie on the 101st anniversary of the founding of the republic on October 29, 2024, at a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
While the T625 was primarily designed for military use, it can also be deployed as an air ambulance and for offshore operations as well as search-and-rescue missions.
The agreement with Saudi Arabia follows growing signs of closer defense ties between Ankara and Riyadh. Last week President Erdoğan said Turkey and Saudi Arabia were discussing a possible joint investment in KAAN, Turkey’s domestically developed fifth-generation fighter jet, after talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.
Any Saudi investment in KAAN will mark one of the most significant foreign partnerships for Turkey’s fighter jet project and could boost Ankara’s ambitions to become a major defense exporter.
Relations between the two countries have improved significantly in recent years, with defense cooperation emerging as a central pillar alongside expanding trade and investment links.
In the summer of 2023 Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed a deal for the purchase of drones manufactured by Turkey’s leading drone maker, Baykar.
Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar, which is co-run by one of Erdoğan’s sons-in-law, at the time called the deal “the biggest defense and aviation export contract in the history of the Turkish Republic.”
The value of the deal was not made public.