By Susan Mwongeli
TRT Afrika, Adana, Türkiye
Teknofest, Türkiye’s largest aerospace and technology festival, is in full swing in the southern city of Adana. The five-day tech fair started on Wednesday amid spectacular displays.
There are Jets, warplanes, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) helicopters — and much more, as the fair features competitions, airshows, technology exhibitions and workshops.
Apart from flying machines, there are also thrilling smart transportation, rocket design, biotechnology, and underwater drones at the fair.
‘’All over the world technology is very important. Today, Teknofest is realised in Adana, Türkiye,’’ Yavuz Selim Köşger, the governor of Adana Province tells TRT Afrika.
‘’This festival shows that Türkiye has reached a very important point, especially in terms of defence technology. So, we need young people to understand their country's capability,’’ he stresses.
The event has been organised by the Turkish Technology Team (T3) Foundation and the Turkish Industry and Technology Ministry jointly since 2018, in cooperation with dozens of ministries, public institutions, private firms, and universities.
Attendees get hands-on with some of the latest cutting-edge tech and there’s a massive competition happening with innovators from around the world.
‘’Today, I came here on a school trip to see what my country has been doing. And I have seen the planes and all the stuff, and I'm very proud of my country. They inspire me so much to express my ideas and come up with things like this,’’ a student attending the show tells TRT Afrika.
On the first day of the premier technology event, Turkish UAV producer Baykar's new combat drone Bayraktar TB3 made its public debut. The aircraft made its maiden flight one year ago.
Bayraktar TB3 on Wednesday made its first public flight along with Bayraktar Akinci, another UAV manufactured by Baykar, at the Teknofest event in the southern Turkish province of Adana.
Other innovative machines were also on display, including amazing robots and drones.
From high-stakes competitions to interactive displays, and air and land vehicle showcases, there’s truly something for everyone here.
Teknofest is where the future is unfolding—literally. It was first launched in 2018 and has been growing ever since, drawing in bigger crowds and even cooler tech each year.
What is even more exciting is that the event does not stay in one spot. It tours across different cities in Türkiye and was held in Azerbaijan two years ago. It’s a traveling tech spectacle.
Last year, to commemorate the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye, the festival took place in three locations: Istanbul, the capital Ankara, and the Aegean resort city of Izmir.
The ongoing Adana event is the tenth edition of Teknofest, including the one held in Azerbaijan two years ago.
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