Turkiye’s booming defence industry – a quick look

Turkey has always prioritized its defense, investing first in purchasing and developing its own weapons.

The second-largest standing army of NATO has also become a well-known weapons exporter, with some well-known goods available internationally.

Exports from Europe and the Middle East increased by $1.9 billion in a decade to $7.1 billion in 2024.

What’s driving this growth, exactly? What are Turkiye’s capabilities? What makes it significant, then? What we are aware of is:

When did Turkiye transition to domestic production?

The gradual transition that led to the establishment of the Defence Industry Development and Support Administration Office (SAGEB) in 1985 saw the establishment of Turkiye’s attempt to become a military self-sufficiency.

SAGEB has been a global leader in research and development for many years. However, as Turkiye was subject to restrictions on the weapons it could buy and how it could use them, it shifted to local production.

It switched to domestic design in the 2010s, leading to a significant increase in domestic defense production.

Turkish defense manufacturers now have a number of thousand employees across land, air, and naval capabilities, which is becoming more and more popular internationally.

Are Turkish drones something you’ve heard of?

The recognizable Bayraktar TB2, one of the most popular Turkish defense products, was perhaps the most well-known unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Turkey. It was first deployed in 2014 and is now most popular.

However, there are several more, including the Vestel Karayel tactical UAV with a 70 kg (154lb) payload and the 200 kg (441lb) payload-capacity long-endurance Anka-S.

The nation is also working on its “Steel Dome” (Celik Kubbe), which is a system that can be upgraded to detect and intercept any airborne threat.

Additionally, work is being done on the Turkish KAAN, the first domestic fifth-generation fighter designed to replace the Turkish Air Force’s aging F-16s.

What other items are there in the catalog of Turkiye?

The Altay main battle tank, which was developed to compete with Western models like the German Leopard or the US Abrams, is the engine of Turkiye’s armored vehicle production on the ground.

The army also has modern infantry fighting vehicles like the FNSS Defence Systems’ Kaplan and the Pars, as well as a mine-resistant vehicle called the Kirpi (Hedgehog), which is frequently used in counterinsurgency operations.

The National Ship Project, or MILGEM, was established in 2004 to produce the next generation of Turkish naval class ships.

Modern Ada-class corvettes and frigates are being produced by MILGEM, along with more advanced warships and submarines.

The largest ship in the Turkish navy, the TCG Anadolu, which was deployed in 2023, is the most notable.

Finally, there are the long-range ballistic missiles Bora and the long-range Atmaca (Hawk) missiles, which are all part of a long list of smart munitions, air defense, and missiles.

Why is there a need for manufacturing weapons?

Turkiye’s desire to create military hardware is portrayed as the result of both internal forces and external forces.

The United States imposed an arms embargo on Turkiye in the middle of the 1970s for its military intervention in Cyprus.

Germany banned the export of weapons to Turkiye in the early 1990s, claiming that any foreign armoured vehicles it sold to Turkiye had been used domestically prior to the contract’s requirement that they could only be used against an attack by a non-NATO state.

The US sanctioned Turkiye for purchasing the Russian S-400 air defense system in 2020, when Turkiye had already established itself as an arms manufacturer.

In Turkiye, there are currently about 3, 000 weapons companies.

How much does Turkiye export, then?

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), exports now account for 1.7 percent of global arms exports, placing the nation 11th place in the list of world’s defense exporters for the period 2020 to 2024.

178 countries were exported by Turkiye last year, a 103 percent increase over the same period last year, according to monitors.

According to SIPRI, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and Qatar were its main customers during the years 2024 and 2024.

The Bayraktar medium-altitude long-endurance drone’s most well-known export is reportedly those to Iraq, Ukraine, Kenya, Bangladesh, and Japan.

Its manufacturer, Baykar, announced last year that it would invest $300 million to develop its own jet engines, aiming to increase component production and avoid problems with the international supply chain.

It wants to create an internal engine for its unmanned air-to-air combat vehicle, the Akinci drone, and a turbofan engine for its developing unmanned aircraft. Both of these engines currently run in Ukraine.

Source: Aljazeera