Handelsblatt: Türkiye changing wars’ course

Türkiye has become a regional power thanks to the steps it has taken in the defence industry, especially in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles in recent years.

The demand for German, French and American weapons has decreased in recent years thanks to the Bayraktar TB2 UAV, and Türkiye has changed the course of wars, Star informs citing the article published by German newspaper Handelsblatt.

The article noted: “They sold more than 20 UAVs to Ukraine before the Russian invasion began. UAVs deal serious blows to Russian forces, destroying their supply lines. As in the case of the Ukrainian island of Serpents in the Black Sea, the Russian advance is prevented. “Relatively affordable drones from Anatolia could determine the course of the war,” the report said.

The article used the expression "Türkiye is now able to provide almost all of its weapons needs on its own and has become an important player in international arms transfers."

Türkiye was said to have spent $1.6 billion last year developing new weapons systems, and as a result produced more than $10 billion worth of armaments, while the turnover of the Turkish defence industry has tripled.

The analysis also revealed details of Türkiye’s large production volume.

“Türkiye produces not only autonomous aircraft. In addition to various armoured and armed vehicles, the ‘MİLGEM’ warship and the Altay main battle tank have been developed in the country. There are also Atak helicopters, ‘Hürkuş’ training aircraft and the Göktürk satellite system, while Roketsan announced over the weekend that it had delivered the first batch of man-portable air defence systems. The first Turkish aircraft carrier is being built, which will carry UAVs and helicopters.

In 2002, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, upon taking office, put up tender defence projects with a budget of about $5.5 billion, and now the volume of projects has increased by about 10 times. “According to the Government Investment Office, this amount is currently valued at more than $60 billion, considering projects that are currently in the tender process,” the analysis said.