Turkish Defence Industry Gains Its Independence

Turkey needs to advance its arms industry and increase its share in the global arms trade

Turkey has gained its independence in the defence industry with investments in recent years after trying to fulfill its weapon system requirements through foreign military assistance, grants and purchases instead of using its national defence industry. By the end of 2018, Turkey’s annual defence expenditures have reached its highest level with 18,97 billion dollars and constituted 2,5% of the gross domestic product (GDP).

Turkey has come a long way in manufacturing the much-needed weapon systems with national resources

The historical development of the defence industry can be summarized in the following numbers: 1 billion dollars defence and aerospace turnover reached up to 8,761 billion dollars; 248 million dollars defence and aerospace export to 2,188 billion dollars; 49 million dollars R&D expenditures to 1,448 billion dollars; 66 defence projects of the Presidency of Defence Industries to 667 and the contract price of 5.5 billion dollars of these projects reached up to 60 billion dollars. In addition, while there was not a single Turkish company among the biggest defence companies in 2002, five Turkish companies (ASELSAN ranks the 52nd, TUSAŞ ranks the 69th, STM Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.Ş and BMC ranks the 85th and ROKETSAN ranks the 89th) found a place among the “Top 100 Global Defence Companies” in the area of defence and security in 2019. Achieving great success in the process, Turkey has come a long way in manufacturing the much-needed weapon systems with national resources in a short amount of time. Many systems and subsystems, notably MILGEM Corvette, Logistic Support Ship, Multipurpose Amphibious Assault Ship (LHD), Altay Tank, ATAK Attack Helicopter, GÖKBEY Utility Helicopter, Akıncı, Aksungur, Anka, Bayraktar and Karayel Unmanned Air Vehicles, Hürkuş Training Aircraft, Göktürk Surveillance Satellites, New Type Patrol Boats, High-Speed Interceptor Boats, National Infantry Rifle, Tactical Wheeled Armoured Vehicles, HİSAR-A/HİSAR-O Air Defence Systems are the results of the projects carried out to minimize dependence in the defence industry.

The developments of the last 15 years in the Turkish defence industry have increased the demand for the platforms, systems and capabilities of our companies in the foreign market

TURKISH DEFENCE INDUSTRY HAS BEEN GLOBALIZING

The developments of the last 15 years in the Turkish defence and aerospace industries have increased the demand for the platforms, systems and capabilities of our companies in the foreign market. Our companies collaborate not only focusing on export but also considering methods based on win-win relationships such as joint production, technology transfer, co-investment, and this makes them the first choice for customers in the international markets. The best example of this is signing the projects of two Fleet Replenishment Tankers, Agosta 90B class submarine modernization, four MILGEM class corvettes and 30 T129 ATAK Reconnaissance and Tactical Attack Helicopters with Pakistan by Turkish companies ASELSAN, Military Factory and Shipyard Management Inc. (ASFAT), HAVELSAN, STM, TUSAŞ and METEKSAN. There are many Turkish companies in the Pakistan MILGEM Project (PN MILGEM), the biggest one-item export of the Turkish defence industry, which actually started on 11 March 2019, consisting of the construction of four corvettes, two of which are in the Istanbul Shipyard Command and the other in the Karaçi Shipyard. HAVELSAN takes part in the project with ADVENT Combat Management System, Ship Data Distribution System and Ship Information System; ASELSAN with Electronic Warfare System, Fire Control Radar, Laser Warning Receiver System, Torpedo Counter Measure System, Radar and Warfare System; and METEKSAN with YAKAMOS Hull Mounted Sonar System.

FROM ASIAN FORESTS TO THE DESERTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Turkish defence industry companies continue their marketing activities in many parts of the world without stopping. The supply projects for 267 ZMA-15 tracked armoured vehicles and 257 AV8 GEMPITA 8×8 wheeled armoured vehicles in 12 different configurations have been developed and manufactured by FNSS, who has delivered over 4 thousand armoured combat vehicles to the users with the PARS technology. These projects constitute the backbone of Malaysian Armed Forces and come to the fore with their manufacturing including the technology transfer. FNSS, with ZMA-15 class vehicles given to the inventory of Philippine Army and middle-class tanks KAPLAN MT recently developed for the Indonesian Army and 172 vehicles in 13 different configurations for Oman, makes a name for itself as a Turkish defence company with over 2.6 billion dollar business volume outside Turkey.

FIVE CONTINENTS- ONE TURK

Along with a product family consisting of wheeled armoured Akrep II, Cobra, Cobra II, Arma and tracked armoured Ural and Tulpar, Tulpar S vehicles, which are among the most important actors of the land vehicle sector, Otokar also designs, develops and manufactures products according to the needs and expectations of its customers and offers its services in more than 35 countries on 5 continents with more than 32 thousand vehicles. An important global actor in the defence industry exports, Otokar signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates, which have political problems with Turkey, in 2016 that contains the manufacture of 700 Rabdan 8×8 tactical wheeled armoured vehicles worth 661 million dollars, developed on the ARMA platform and reached an unusual position in the sector.

Military capacity is an important element for countries to survive in foreign policy

TURKEY’S TECHNOLOGICAL BASE, ASELSAN

Answering the communication and information technologies, radar and electronic warfare, electro-optics, avionics, unmanned systems, land, sea and weapon systems, air defence and missile systems, command & control systems, transportation, security and health technologies needs in and out of the country, and exporting to 65 different countries, ASELSAN closed 2019 with nearly 330 million dollar exportation. Next to Turkey’s 1.14 dollars and the defence and aerospace sector’s 97 dollar export kilogram value, ASELSAN’s numbers reached up to 1,500 dollars. The company climbed up three ranks to the 52nd row in the “Top 100 Global Defence Industry Companies” in 2019 with a turnover of 1.79 million dollars acquired in 2018.

With its original defence industry products, the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) increasing level of deterrence has greatly contributed to the success of the actions of Turkish foreign policy

HAVELSAN IN THE AIR, IN THE LAND, IN THE SEA

Increasing the number of its export countries and revenues and its number of products over 20 in recent years, HAVELSAN develops command & control and defence technologies as well as high contribution rate simulators for all kinds of land, sea and air platforms. The company has exported AW139 Simulator Centre Project for training helicopter pilots in Qatar Air Force, Command & Control Computer Combat and Intelligence System (C4I) to Oman, AV8 simulator (which is also the first armoured land vehicle simulator of Turkey) to Malaysia, and achieved a great success by selling ADVENT, the New Generation Network-Supported Combat Management System to Pakistan as part of the PN MILGEM Project. Military capacity is an important element for countries to survive in the area of foreign policy. However, military capacity is a strategic factor that allows states to act more comfortably in the international arena and determine the quality of their relations with other states. In this context, if Turkey did not meet an important part of its Armed Forces’ need of weapons and military equipment today with its own production, it would be much more difficult to perform the Operations “Euphrates Shield”, “Olive Branch” and “Peace Spring” in Syria and Turkey would be exposed to more intense pressure from the Western countries. With an increase in the capabilities and means of TSK, a significant part of the strategic objectives in the operations has been achieved. Weapons and ammunitions manufactured by the Turkish defence industry, especially Bayraktar TB2 and ANKA unmanned air vehicles, Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), Fırtına Obus, ATAK helicopter, radars, smart ammunition, infantry rifles and armoured vehicles have been densely used by the security forces.

Turkish defence industry companies continue their marketing activities in many parts of the world without stopping

In order to increase its presence in the region, Turkey has been carrying out joint activities in the military area and security & defence industries with Qatar, and established Qatar-Turkey Combined Joint Force Command to provide security for the country and sent there soldiers in 2015. Turkey has been carrying out activities to modernize Qatar’s military institutions, to diversify the cooperation in its military education and training, to improve the drill and defence capabilities and crowned its presence in the region with original defence industry products such as Bayraktar TB2 SİHA, Kirpi II, Amazon, Ejder Yalçın, Yörük Armoured Vehicles, Remote Controlled Weapon Systems, High-Speed Interceptor Boats, Simulators, Electro-Optics and Command & Control Systems. Gulf countries who have political problems with Qatar were disturbed by the presence of Turkey in the country, proposed the closure of Turkey’s military base in Qatar to lift the embargo against Qatar; however, Qatar refused it. The “Memorandum of Understanding on Security and Military Cooperation” and “Memora um of Understanding on the Restriction of Marine Jurisdictions” signed between Turkey and Libya’s Government of National Accord on November 27, 2019 received harsh reactions from the countries on the Eastern Mediterranean coast, particularly Greece and Egypt. Turkey’s military assistance to Libya’s Government of National Accord against Hafter has shifted the balances in the country and Libya had Turkey as an important actor in the Libya Summit held to find a solution to the crisis in Libya on January 19, 2020, with the participation of 12 country leaders. These activities of Turkey make it win a political position before the global and regional powers to interfere with the developments occurring in its own region. With its original defence industry products, Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) increasing level of deterrence has greatly contributed to the success of the actions of Turkish foreign policy. In order to maintain this position, Turkey needs to advance its arms industry and increase its share in the global arms trade.

Defence and Technology Chief Editor Muhammet Metin