Turkish Aerospace Company Attacked by Gunmen, Four Dead and 14 Wounded

There was an explosion and gunfire outside of the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (Tusas) in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesday. According to Ali Yerlikaya, Turkey’s Interior Minister, three people are dead and 14 wounded. He also said that two “terrorists” have died in the attack but it’s unclear if the fighting is ongoing. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan updated the number to say four had died.

SON DAKİKA | Ankara’nın Kahramankazan ilçesinde bulunan Türk Uçak Sanayii Anonim Ortaklığı (#TUSAŞ) Tesisi önünde patlama meydana geldi. Patlamanın canlı bomba olduğu değerlendirilmektedir. Silah sesleri duyup aktadır #sondakika #canlıbomba #tusaş #silah pic.twitter.com/hIvYM3ysw9

— Gündem_Borsa (@gndem_borsa) October 23, 2024

Posts on social media recorded the explosion and its immediate aftermath. In videos uploaded from the scene and security cameras, a man and a woman holding assault rifles and wearing backpacks fight near a taxi and move through the lobby of Tusas.

İşte TUSAŞ’a saldıran teröristler!#TUSAŞ #patlama #Ankara pic.twitter.com/3KibO0L7kZ

— İhlas Haber Ajansı (@ihacomtr) October 23, 2024

Ankara’da TUSAŞ’a karşı gerçekleştirilen terör saldırısının ilk anı pic.twitter.com/fsgwjzx0gc

— Asayiş Berkemal (@asayisberkemal0) October 23, 2024

According to Sky News, a group of attackers arrived at the building via a taxi and entered the building during a shift change. There was a large explosion, presumably detonated by the attackers, and then locals heard the sound of gunshots. There are also reports that one of the attackers has taken hostages in the building.

In a post on X, Yerlikaya blamed “terrorists” for the attack but no group had claimed responsibility for it. “Two terrorists were neutralized in the terrorist attack targeting [Tusas] Ankara Kahramankazan facilities,” he said. “Unfortunately, we have 3 martyrs and 14 injured in the attack. May God have mercy on our martyrs and I wish a speedy recovery to our wounded. I condemn this heinous attack. Our struggle will continue with determination and resolve until the last terrorist is neutralized.”

Turkey has become a major weapons manufacturer in recent years. Turkey used to buy most of its weapons from the West, but began to invest in its own industry in the early 2000s, around the time current-president Erdoğan came to power as a prime minister. Erdogan aggressively pursued the goal of domestic production of weapons. The effort worked and it has become a major industry for Turkey over the last two decades.

Tusas is one of the major players in the Turkish defense industry and builds F-16s in the country based on a licensing deal with Lockheed Martin. Tusas also builds the engines for Turkey’s home-grown fifth-generation stealth fighter jet as well as drones like the TAI Anka.

Turkey’s unmanned drones are popular. Similar to America’s Predator and Reaper, Turkey is selling drones to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Poland, and Ukraine. Kyiv is fond of the non-Tusas drone the Bayraktar and its parent company is building a plant in Ukraine to speed up the supply of drones to the country.