"Although it may seem difficult for us not to hand over F-35s to Turkey today, it may be one of the best things for our national defense industry tomorrow," Selçuk Bayrakdar, the inventor of the Bayrakdar drone, said while commenting on US sanctions against Turkey over F-35 fighters.
Report informs, citing A Haber, that according to him, it may take 15-20 years for Turkey to have such an aircraft, but the F-35, which will be built on a national platform, will be more powerful and cheaper financially:
"In the last 4-5 years, we have accelerated the development of the AKINCI project and unmanned aerial vehicles. We aim to make the first flight of its prototype in 2023. We must prepare for future races today and try to be a leader wherever the world goes..."