PAF chief visits Türkiye to bolster next-gen defence and drone cooperation

WEB DESK: The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, has undertaken an official visit to Türkiye to deepen strategic ties and expand defence cooperation between the two nations, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed.

Upon his arrival at the Turkish Air Force Headquarters, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief was presented with a formal guard of honour before commencing high-level talks aimed at enhancing bilateral military capabilities.

During the visit, Air Chief Marshal Sidhu held extensive discussions with the Turkish Air Force Commander, General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu.

The two commanders agreed to further strengthen defence cooperation, focusing specifically on expanding joint air exercises and collaborative training programmes. General Kadıoğlu praised the PAF’s historic and ongoing role in training Turkish pilots, underscoring the deep-rooted mutual trust between the two air arms.

The PAF chief also met with the Turkish Defence Minister, Yaşar Güler, where both sides reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to enhancing cooperation in defence production, joint training, and institutional capacity building.

Strategic focus on unmanned systems and next-gen tech

A pivotal segment of the official visit involved advanced technology collaboration, highlighted by a meeting between the PAF chief and Selçuk Bayraktar, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the renowned Turkish defence firm Baykar Technologies.

The discussions centered heavily on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and the integration of advanced defence technologies into current frameworks.

Both parties expressed a shared resolve to boost bilateral cooperation in next-generation defence technologies, signaling a mutual desire to co-develop sophisticated aerospace architectures to meet modern security challenges.