Turkey unveils powerful non-nuclear aerial bombs at defence fair

As it positions itself as a major defence exporter, Turkey unveiled two powerful, non-nuclear bombs at the 17th International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul earlier this week.

The first, know as GAZAP (Wrath) is a the conventional aircraft bomb has a warhead weighing 970 kilogrammes.

This thermobaric weapon, sometimes referred to as a vacuum bomb, uses oxygen mixed with fuel to create a high-temperature explosion.

A second charge ignites after the initial detonation, making the weapon much more destructive than other non-nuclear bombs of a similar size, with a blast radius of a kilometre.

It been described by state-linked media as the NATO country's "most powerful" air-launched conventional weapon.

The other bomb, known as the Hayalet (Ghost),  is a bunker-buster capable of penetrating up to seven metres of reinforced concrete.

Both can be dropped from a US F-16 fighter jet and weigh nearly a tonne each.

In June, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he wants to strengthen the country’s deterrence capabilities so that no country would dare attack it.

During the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, he announced plans to step up the country’s production of medium- and long-range missiles.