By H.E. Tuba Nur Sönmez
Ambassador of Türkiye to Kuwait
As we jubilantly celebrate the 102nd anniversary of our Victory Day, it is a source of immense pride to witness the evolution and achievements of the Turkish military over the last two decades. In this regard, one area particularly stands out: the defence industry.
The evolution of the Turkish defence industry in the recent decades under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become a matter of global attention. Türkiye has shifted from importing many of her defence technologies to becoming one the world’s most prominent exporters in the defence and aerospace industry. With a large number of products in its defence industry portfolio and the significant importance given to R&D and technological advancement, Türkiye has emerged competent and trusted global player, with over 2000 enterprises, SMEs, research institutes, and universities contributing domestically.
Second largest army of the NATO
Located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Türkiye is in fact surrounded by many wars, armed conflicts and instabilities, necessitating strong security forces backed by an advanced defence sector to maintain regional peace and security. As the second largest army of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and one of the biggest defence spenders in the world, Türkiye has developed the capabilities to defend herself while sharing this experience and capacity accumulated over the years with her partners and friends around the world.
Over the years, Türkiye’s effort towards ensuring her national security as well as the regional peace while fully abiding by the international law have resulted in unfair treatment by certain countries that are the main exporters of defence industry products to Türkiye.
Although achieving an independent and self-sufficient defence industry has always been a national strategy, the arms embargo imposed by these countries provided an accelerator to push for further efforts to meet the needs of the security units with domestic resources.
Independence of the defence industry
Türkiye’s advancements in the defence sector have garnered global recognition, particularly in drone warfare, with Turkish drones like the Bayraktar TB-2 playing pivotal roles in international conflicts. Beyond armed drones, Türkiye’s defence industry has made significant strides, now possessing the capability to design, produce, modernize, and export a wide array of core conventional arms and equipment.
This includes corvettes, fire support systems, unmanned aircraft systems, gliding munitions for drones, joint-direct attack munitions, various land warfare platforms (excluding main battle tanks), grenade launchers, and tactical anti-material rifles, with varying degrees of domestic input.
To name a few, the state-of-the-art AKINCI Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs), ANKA, and the first unmanned fighter jet Bayraktar Kızılelma, along with the Göktürk satellite system, Altay tanks, ATAK and GÖKBEY helicopters, Hürkuş training aircraft, and Fırtına Obus, are just a handful of examples.
Türkiye’s defence exports have diversified, reaching over 170 countries, with the industry’s project portfolio expanding to include 750 projects by over 1,500 local firms. Despite international challenges, Türkiye’s defence spending and industry turnover have seen steady growth, underscoring its emergence as a formidable player in the global defence market.
As a result of efforts toward ensuring the independence of the defence industry over the last decades, Türkiye’s foreign military imports decreased from 80% in 2004 to around 20% in 2023, while arms exports increased by 75% from 2018 to 2023 compared to 2013-2017.
In 2023, Turkish defence industry exports reached a record-breaking 5.5 billion USD.
Supporting our friends and allies’ defence capabilities
We don’t consider defence industry cooperation merely a type of foreign trade. Supplying friendly countries with affordable, sophisticated, and durable products and solutions benefits our bilateral ties and fosters greater security partnerships. In recent years, Kuwait has emerged as a prime example of this approach. Kuwait’s procurement of Baykar UAVs in 2023 marks the beginning of a new era in the defence sector between Kuwait and Türkiye.
Most importantly, during His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s visit to Türkiye on May 7, 2024, Türkiye and Kuwait signed a Government-to-Government (G2G) deal, the Implementation Protocol on Government-to-Government Defence Industry Procurement Contracts that laid the foundation for further cooperation.
We sincerely believe that the defence sector will be the cornerstone of our brotherly relations with Kuwait.
May Allah Almighty protect Türkiye and Kuwait from all kinds of harm.
