Page 6 - ADT AUGUST 2021 Online Magazine

THE

Tough [ COVER STORY ]

Gets mandatory to develop next-generation solutions.”

Going! Turkey’s burgeoning defence industry has made great progress

despite an array of issues that could slow its long-term develop-
ment. Aggressive government policies aim toward decreasing arms
imports and raising the country’s status as an international player. It
aims to reduce dependence on abroad and achieve self-sufficiency,
not only with regard to arming its military, but also to enter the ranks
of developed countries by manufacturing and exporting weapons.
TURKEY SEEKS GREATER
AUTONOMY IN TERMS OF “ABOVE ALL, THE CURRENT SITUATION IN OUR
INDIGENOUSLY PRODUCED REGION AND THE DISQUIETING INSTABILITY
MILITARY BUYS AND ATTEMPTS REVEAL THAT THE NECESSARY EXTENT OF
TO POSITION ITSELF AS ONE OF DETERRENCE CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED THROUGH A
THE LEADING ARMS EXPORTERS STRONG DEFENCE INDUSTRY. ON OUR JOURNEY
THAT WE SET OFF WITH THE MAIN MISSION OF
DEVELOPMENT OF A MODERN DEFENCE INDUSTRY
Jay Menon AND MODERNISATION OF TURKISH ARMED
FORCES, MAJOR STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN SO
In November 2019, when the Chief Executive FAR,” Dr. Ismail Demir, president of the Turkish defence pro-
Officer (CEO) of Turkish Aerospace Prof. Dr. curement authority (SSB)
Temel Kotil revealed, in a world exclusive to
Asian Defence Technology, a plan to build a Export Credibility
new six tonne attack helicopter - T629 - within According to Carnegie, Turkey’s defence industry has boomed
a year, we happily reported it. The goal - of in the last decade. In 2010, Turkey had one company on the list
building a helicopter that would reside between of Top 100 Global Defense Companies. Presently it has seven—
Turkey’s T129ATAK and its new 10-tonne mul- more companies than Israel, Russia, Sweden and Japan combined.
tirole heavy combat helo, in just 12 months, Turkey’s share of arms imports from 2015 to 2019 decreased by 48
however seemed a little too ambitious. per cent compared to the preceding five-year period. The country
has transitioned from importing 70 percent of its military hardware
Accelerated Progress to 30 percent. Concurrently, the Turkish arms industry grew from
Hardly six months later, despite the pandemic US$1 billion in 2002 to US$11 billion in 2020, more than US$3 bil-
and lockdown, the company held a closed pre- lion of which were exports, making Turkey the 14th largest global
sentation of the model of the promising attack defence exporter.
helicopter, and went a step ahead in the next
nine months to unveil a mockup of an electric The country’s defence expenditure reached a high in the 2020
unmanned version of the helicopter gunship. fiscal year totalling US$14.8bn, which is a 6.5 per cent increase from
The Turkish government is supervising critical the previous year. This increased growth is expected to steadily
projects to improve motivation and expedite continue as the Turkish budget is estimated to rise to US$17.5
project completion. As Ismail Demir, president billion as of 2025 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of
of the Turkish defence procurement authority 3.83 per cent. “Above all, the current situation in our region and
(SSB) says: “Next-generation threats make it disquieting instability reveals that the necessary extent of deter-

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