Reference News Network, September 1 report. According to the French newspaper "Les Echos" website on August 22, will Western European countries purchase weapons from Turkey in the future? A deal between Turkish Aerospace Industries and Airbus on July 24 seems to indicate this trend. The agreement plans to export 30 "Jet Sparrow" attack aircraft to Spain to replace the outdated U.S. Northrop SF-5M aircraft currently in service with the Spanish Air Force.

Although the final agreement needs to be finalized in the coming months and includes provisions for local production in Spain, it undoubtedly confirms a significant trend: Turkey's defense industry has made remarkable breakthroughs over the past 15 years.

In the international arms market, Turkey is continuously expanding its share and even beginning to compete with major Western defense companies. Its arms export volume increased from $1.64 billion in 2014 to $7.154 billion in 2024. Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute for the period 2020 to 2024 shows that Turkey has risen to the 11th position among global arms exporters.

This astonishing rise is backed by Turkey's policy of building an independent defense industry over the past 50 years.

Previously, 90% of the weapons used by the Turkish armed forces were imported from the United States and other countries. However, after Washington imposed an embargo following Turkey's invasion of northern Cyprus in 1974, it was severely constrained.

Since the 1980s, the Turkish government has established several defense companies to strive for strategic autonomy. By transferring technology to produce some imported equipment locally, and gradually designing and manufacturing weapons independently, it eventually achieved self-sufficiency in military equipment.

This policy took decades to bear fruit: In 2004, Ankara still relied on imports for 80% of its military supplies; by 2022, this proportion had dropped to 20%.

From a country importing weapons to one exporting them, Turkey has gradually transformed its role. In the 2010s, its arms trade began to achieve success: In 2015, the Turkish company FNSS signed a contract with Oman to sell 172 armored vehicles; that same year, it also jointly developed a medium tank with Indonesia. Since then, Turkey has continued to export various military equipment to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan.

The real breakthrough for Turkey in the arms trade came with drones.

Since 2020, Baykar Company has gained fame by deploying its flagship product, the "Bayraktar TB2" drone, in the battles of Ankara and its allies.

Aside from drones, Turkey is also expanding its exports of combat vehicles. Turkish companies such as FNSS, Otokar, and Nuray have signed numerous contracts for the sale and joint production of armored vehicles in Africa, the Gulf region, and even Hungary and Estonia. Defense engineer and consultant Mark Sargsyan said: "Turkey has a very diverse product line in this field, and its prices are much lower than those of traditional arms dealers." The latest countries to purchase Turkish armored vehicles include Senegal. According to an African intelligence website in March of this year, the country has ordered about 30 "Cobra-2" armored personnel carriers from Otokar. In October last year, Cote d'Ivoire also purchased 10 of the same vehicles.

The light weapons sector also shows impressive performance. Mark Sargsyan said: "The Turkish industry has at least seven manufacturers of pistols, rifles, and machine guns, which are exported in large quantities."

In terms of naval equipment, Turkish shipyards have now successfully exported patrol boats and even frigates. In 2018, the Turkish Military Industry and Shipbuilding Management Company signed a contract with Pakistan to build four light frigates for the Pakistani Navy: two of them built in Istanbul docks, and the other two completed in Karachi docks.

Last June, Malaysia ordered three similar frigates from Turkish STM Company.

Turkey is shaking the positions of traditional arms exporters such as France, the United States, and Germany. Patrice Mowayefle, an expert on Turkey and defense industry at the Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies, pointed out: "In the field of ground equipment, Turkey can now compete directly with all its rivals. In markets such as Indonesia and Malaysia, it even directly competes with France for orders." In West Africa and the Sahel region, Turkey is using local anti-French sentiments to become an alternative supplier in the supply chain. (Translated by Pan Geping)

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