US-based intelligence platform Stratfor (Strategic Forecasting, Inc.) has published an analysis on Turkish defense industry. The analysis published on May 26th contains important points.
In the analysis, which emphasized that the agreements made especially with marine systems continue to increase in exports, the expression “Ankara wants to enlarge the domestic defense industry to a large extent” was used.
The article titled “Turkey Builds a Military-Industrial Complex to Match Its Ambitions” also mention the names and projects of the companies operating in the Turkish defense industry. Here are some remarkable statements in the analysis:
Key way in close relationships
“Turkey seeks to strengthen its own arms exports. Beyond the obvious economic benefits, arms sales are a key way in which Ankara can develop close and long-lasting relationships with customers, with an expectation of better relations overall. For instance, Turkey has worked to enhance its ties with Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and it is no surprise that these states are primary targets for Ankara’s arms export ambitions as well.
Bolstering Turkey’s local arms trade is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s established passion — something he hopes will accelerate the national defense industry, too. Constitutional reforms passed in Turkey’s April 2016 referendum greatly increased Erdogan’s oversight and control of defense procurement.
Turkey has come a long way
Turkey has come a long way in the development of an indigenous defense industry, a core part of its ambition to strengthen its military and bolster its regional interests. Since 2002, the rate at which Turkey’s defense industry has met Ankara’s procurement requirements has risen from 24 to 64 percent and is still climbing. Yet while these numbers are indeed impressive, they are also somewhat misleading. What Turkey labels as indigenous programs are more often than not still heavily linked to foreign partnerships and almost invariably include imported subsystems. So while the continued rise of the Turkish defense industry is impressive at face value, the reality is that progress will remain uneven, and Ankara will not be able to forgo its dependence on critical foreign systems anytime soon.”
Read the article here.