Türkiye has drawn up a plan to establish an assembly facility for its combat drones in Pakistan, with negotiations making significant progress since October, Bloomberg reported on Saturday.

Citing Turkish officials, the report said Ankara intends to assemble its advanced stealth and long-endurance drones in Pakistan under the proposed arrangement.

The move would provide Pakistan access to high-end defence technology, while enhancing Türkiye’s influence in the global weapons market.

According to Bloomberg, Türkiye’s Ministry of Defence declined to comment on the development, while Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also did not respond.

The Turkish officials cited in the report requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Strengthening the country’s defence industry on a global scale remains a key pillar of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s policy.

In line with that strategy, Türkiye this year secured a fighter jet order from Indonesia and continues discussions on further arms sales to Saudi Arabia and Syria.

The report noted that Türkiye’s defence exports rose by 30% in the first 11 months of this year, reaching a record $7.5 billion — the highest ever, according to defence industry chief Haluk Görgün.

Defence cooperation between Türkiye and Pakistan is longstanding.

Ankara is already building corvette warships for the Pakistan Navy, has upgraded dozens of Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets, and hopes Islamabad will join its next-generation fighter jet programme “KAAN.”

Both countries have also been working for years on the TF-X (Turkish Fighter – Experimental) project.

In 2022, senior Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) officials confirmed that Pakistan’s National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) plays a key role in research and design.

TAI had opened its first office in Pakistan in 2019 for the same purpose.

The bilateral cooperation is also expanding in drone technology.

In 2021 and 2022, TAI signed agreements with the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) for the joint production of components for the Anka UAV, which can fly for 24 hours at 30,000 feet and carry up to 250 kilograms.

Türkiye is also working on a $1.5 billion agreement to provide Pakistan with 30 T-129 attack helicopters, although the deal has been stalled for some time.

Setting up a drone assembly facility in Pakistan would represent a significant step forward in defence cooperation between the two countries.

It would give Pakistan access to modern UAV technology while helping Türkiye push ahead with its growing defence export goals.

The development comes at a time of continued regional unease — tensions with India have lingered following a four-day clash in May.

Islamabad’s relations with Kabul are also at a low level amid the Afghan Taliban’s refusal to prevent anti-Pakistan groups from carrying out their activities from Afghan soil.