Deadly attack on Turkish Aerospace Facility leaves 5 dead

A deadly attack struck one of Türkiye’s critical defense facilities, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ/TAI), in Ankara’s Kahramankazan district on October 23, leaving 5 dead, 22 wounded.

An explosion reported at approximately 15:30 local time at  TAI in Ankara’s Kahramanmaraş district, during a busy shift change at the facility’s main gate where employee shuttle busses were gathered.

The explosion triggerred an armed confrontation between security forces and attackers, reports suggested.

Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the incident as “a terror attack,” immediately after the explosion adding that two of the attackers are killed.

Yerlikaya said that 5 people are killed and 22 were wounded by the attackers.

PKK members

On October 24, Interior Minister named the attackers as Ali Örek ve Mine Sevjin Alçiçek adding that “they are both PKK members.”

Earlier he had said that the security forces were considering the attackers to be affiliated to PKK.

There were no immediate statement from the PKK on the attack.

Following the attack, Ankara launched air strikes in northern Syria and Iraq overnight, killing 59 militants, the Defence Ministry said.

There was no immediate statement from the PKK on the attack or the Turkish airstrikes.

Critical technology center

Turkish Aerospace Industries is a critical technology center for Türkiye’s aviation sector, responsible for designing and manufacturing various air platforms.

It was built for Türkiye’s F-16 fighter jet production program, and both F-16s and CN-235 transport aircraft were manufactured here.

The facilities currently continue to produce drones such as Anka and Aksungur, Gökbey helicopters, and Hürjet aircraft, while development work on the National Combat Aircraft “Kaan” is also ongoing at this location.

Its significance is heightened by its proximity to Mürted Air Base, which was used as a headquarters during the July 15, 2016 military coup attempt initiated by the Fethullah Gülen organization.