Turkey 100 years after the Treaty of Lausanne (page 4)
Turkey develops robust armament industry
Turkey regards the development of a strong domestic arms industry as a central part of its security strategy.
Turkey’s growing defense industry is a cornerstone of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s independent and assertive foreign policy for two core reasons. Hence, the growing defense industry gives Turkey greater maneuverability in its foreign policy by ensuring less reliance on arms imports and more autonomy.
Erdogan issued a presidential decree on July 10, 2018, placing the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSB) under the presidency’s direct control.
In 2010, Turkey had one company on the list of Top 100 Global Defense Companies. Presently it has seven—more companies than Israel, Russia, Sweden and Japan combined.
The country has transitioned from importing 70 percent of its military hardware to 30 percent. Turkey is one of only 22 states manufacturing armed drones.
Concurrently, the Turkish arms industry grew from $1 billion in 2002 to $11 billion in 2020, more than $3 billion of which were exports, making Turkey the fourteenth largest global defense exporter. The state has invested $60 billion in defense projects.
One Turkish company, ASELSAN, was included in SIPRI’s list of the Top 100 arms producing and military service companies in the world for 2020.
ASELSAN, Turkey's largest defense electronics company; Communication and information technologies, radar and electronic warfare, electro-optics, avionics, unmanned systems, land, naval and weapon systems, air defense and missile systems, command and control systems, transportation, transportation, has a wide range of products that can meet the needs of security, traffic, automation and health technologies.
ASELAN exports were worth one billion dollars in 2022.
ASELSAN was founded by the Turkish Army Foundation in 1975 after US's decision to put an embargo on Turkey due to Cyprus Operation.
ASELSAN has associated companies in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. Besides, the company announced in October 2015 that they are planning to expand their South African business "by seeking partnerships to form a private company out of its local branch ASELSAN South Africa.
Turkish exports of major conventional weapons consist mostly of armored vehicles, ships, missiles. Major recent sales include 10,000 Cirit surface-to-air missiles, 700 infantry fighting vehicles, and 11 multiple-rocket launchers to the UAE, and over 1,000 armored personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia, types of equipment with major potential for use in Yemen.
In recent years, Turkey has become a major player in the international market for armed drones, most notably with the Bayraktar TB2.
According to SIPRI, the Bayraktar has been ordered or delivered to 10 countries worldwide up to 2021: Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Morocco, Poland, Qatar, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.
Turkey’s defense and aerospace sales have increased tenfold over the last two decades, with the sector’s export business growing by nearly 1,200%, according to data released May 3, 2022 by one of the country’s industry umbrella organizations, according to Defense News.com.
In 2021, Turkey’s defense and aerospace sector sales reached $10.1 billion, and exports totaled $3.2 billion, exceeding $2.6 billion in imports, the Defense Industry Manufacturers Association reported.
Furthermore, Turkey’s defense and aerospace exports in the first half of 2022 reached a record high of almost $2 billion, up 48% from the same period in 2021.
Central Asia is also becoming another marketplace for the TB2. Last year, Kyrgyzstan signed a deal to purchase the armed drone, becoming the first Central Asian country to buy the system, although it’s unclear how many were ordered.
In May 2022, Turkey and Kazakhstan agreed to co-produce Turkish drones the Central Asian country purchased in 2021. The Anka, made by Turkish Aerospace Industries, will be jointly produced at a facility in Kazakhstan. Turkish Aerospace Industries was ranked 67 in 2022 Top 100 list of Defense News, along with two other Turkish companies: Aselsan at 49 and Roketsan at 86.
Also in May, 2022 Tajikistan, another Central Asian nation, had bought the TB2.
While Africa is a new market for Turkish defense firms, defense and aerospace exports to the continent are rising, from $83 million in 2020 to $288 million in 2021. Turkish companies have sold various equipment and armored vehicles to 14 African nations: Burkina Faso, Algeria, Chad, Morocco, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somali, Rwanda and Uganda.
In 2018, Pakistan chose Turkey’s T129 attack helicopter to replace its fleet of AH−1F Cobra gunships that were acquired in the 1980s. Pakistan signed a $1.5 billion contract with TAI for 30 T129 helos; however, the deal has not progressed as T129′s engine is a joint U.S.-U.K. product that requires export licenses before delivery can take place.
Qatar has signed an unspecified billion-dollar contract to purchase up to 100 Altay tanks from Turkey, which would constitute one of the defense industry’s largest arms exports in decades.
Tellingly, Turkey was the third most arms-importing country in 1999. In 2018, it was the 14th most arms-exporting country.
Turkey is a founding member of the OECD and G20, and is classified among the E7 countries. The E7 (short for "Emerging 7") is the seven countries Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and Turkey, grouped together because of their major emerging economies. According to the IMF, Turkey has an upper-middle income mixed-market emerging economy. The country is among the world's leading producers of agricultural products, textiles, motor vehicles, transportation equipment, construction materials, consumer electronics and home appliances.
Abdus Sattar Ghazali is the Editor -in-Chief of the Journal of America. Email: asghazali2011 (@) gmail.com
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The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
