Turkey seeks to build a powerful and developed military industry with a presence in all major industries and areas. Due to this, it is planned to ensure the maximum possible fulfillment of the requirements of its own army and a profitable presence in the international market. As the statistics of recent years show, such tasks are being successfully solved and give Ankara reasons for great optimism.
Key indicators
In recent decades, Turkey has been taking all the necessary measures to develop its armed forces, which directly affects the state of the military-industrial complex. General trends in these areas are demonstrated by the dynamics of military spending. So, in 2000, Turkey spent 6.25 billion liras on defense, in 2010 the military budget amounted to 26.5 billion liras, and in 2020 - almost 124.5 billion liras. In terms of "modern" US dollars, this is equivalent to 12.5 billion, 10.9 billion and 19.6 billion, respectively.
A significant part of the military budget goes to defense enterprises. In addition, large expenditures on development work are envisaged. To date, such expenses have exceeded $ 1.7 billion per year. Also, money is allocated for the development of military technologies - already more than $ 250 million. At the same time, it is known about plans to further increase the budget and the volume of purchases from local enterprises.
This kind of spending pays off. The military-industrial complex has mastered the production of armored vehicles and weapons of the ground forces, naval equipment, some aviation complexes, electronic systems, etc. At present, Turkey independently satisfies approx. 70% of the needs of the army and at the same time strengthening its presence in the international market.
Internal and external commercial success can be seen in the rankings of the largest arms manufacturers. So, in the "Top 100" from the SIPRI Institute for 2010, there was only one Turkish company - Aselsan A. S. Then she first entered the rating and took 92nd place. In 2018, Turkish Aerospace Industries (84th place) entered the last such rating from SIPRI together with Aselsan (54th place).
Now a similar rating is made by Defense News. According to him, seven Turkish companies entered the last Top 100 for 2019. The most successful of them remains Aselsan. At the same time, three other companies slightly worsened their positions in comparison with 2018, and two were included in the rating for the first time.
In recent years, the Turkish military-industrial complex has shown noticeable success in terms of export. The total volume of annual supplies reached the level of $ 3 billion. The main foreign buyer of Turkish military products is the United States, which is mainly supplied with components and assemblies for various equipment of its own production. American contracts account for up to 60% of exports. Smaller customers are Oman, Qatar and Malaysia, which received 140 million worth of products last year alone.
Organizational matters
The military-industrial complex of Turkey includes several dozen enterprises of various sizes, represented in a number of major industries. Manufacturers of armored vehicles, artillery and missile weapons, ships, UAVs, electronics, etc. are actively developing. At the same time, it has not yet been possible to reach an acceptable level of technologies and volumes in all directions, which is why the dependence on foreign partners and supplies remains.
The import problem has recently become more acute. After the well-known events of last autumn, several foreign states refused to supply Turkey with their military products. Because of this, several large and important projects were called into question, incl. providing a large share of exports.
Taking into account the issues of organization and peculiarities of activity, Turkish military industry enterprises can be divided into three main groups. The first is the oldest organizations that are part of the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation (Türk Silahlı Kuvvetlerini Güçlendirme Vakfı'nın, TSKGV). These are the companies Aselsan, Havelsan, Roketsan, etc., created in the seventies and eighties. With extensive experience in various fields and developed production facilities, TSKGV companies perform approx. 40% of domestic and export orders.
Since the beginning of the 2000s, along with the growth of costs and purchases, a second group was formed. This includes relatively new joint ventures organized by Turkey with significant foreign participation. The most interesting representatives of this direction are Turkish Aerospace Industries and Otokar.
In recent years, a third group has appeared - new enterprises created with the direct participation of representatives of the Turkish authorities or their closest circle. The most famous example of this approach is Baykar Makina, the head of which is a relative of the Turkish president. BMC, in turn, was created by the leaders of the ruling party.
All the main enterprises of the military-industrial complex receive support at one level or another, but so far they have been able to manage without large and high-profile conflicts. Fields of activity are distributed between different companies and organizations, taking into account their capabilities and ability to promote their interests. Direct cooperation of various kinds also often takes place. Thus, about two-thirds of R&D and R&D activities are carried out with the participation of enterprises from the TSKGV structure.
For yourself and for export
The military-industrial complex of Turkey provides most of the needs of the army, but it is not possible to fulfill all the tasks set. So, enterprises are coping with the task of repairing and modernizing existing tanks, but the development and production of new ones turned out to be an excessively difficult task. The first Turkish MBT Altay is still preparing for the series. However, there are already large plans for their own rearmament and the first agreements on export.
A wide range of automotive, military and special equipment for ground and other troops is produced. Attempts are being made to master new directions. For example, the presence of the Turkish military-industrial complex in the field of artillery and missile weapons is gradually expanding. At the same time, armored vehicles from Turkey enjoy a certain popularity abroad, in their original form and as a basis for joint development.
So far, the construction of the naval forces is mainly based on foreign aid. All the main types of surface ships and submarines in the Navy are built according to foreign projects or using foreign experience. For example, the largest combat unit of the fleet in the near future will be the Anadolu UDC, which is being built under a Spanish license. In such a situation, Turkey is unable to produce ships for foreign orders.
An ambiguous situation is emerging in the field of aviation. In the field of manned aircraft, Turkey is so far only capable of repairing and modernizing foreign-built equipment. At the same time, it is planned to create its own fighter of the current 5th generation. Also, until recently, the Turkish industry participated in the American F-35 fighter project as a supplier of a number of instruments. At the same time, we managed to master the licensed production of foreign helicopters, as well as create our own modifications. TAI's T129 combat helicopters are already being sold to third countries.
Things are much better in the field of unmanned aircraft. Baykar Makina and other organizations, having received assistance at the highest level, have developed a whole line of UAVs for various purposes, including reconnaissance and strike products and kamikaze drones. A similar technique entered service with the Turkish army, and also took its place on the international market.
Plans for the future
Currently, the Turkish military-industrial complex is participating in the implementation of the national development plan for 2019-23. By the end of this period, the military industry should provide 75% of the needs of its own army. It is also required to increase sales of weapons and equipment to foreign armed forces, which will attract money to the country, and will also become an additional incentive for the development of the military-industrial complex.
Trends and processes observed in recent years show that such a development plan is realistic, and the tasks set can be achieved within the specified time frame. The military industry continues to develop and show new successes. Several samples, including the well-known "long-term construction", have been brought to production and sales, and there are also serious investments in promising development and renovation of production facilities. At the same time, negative factors and risks remain, such as the refusal of third countries to supply the necessary products.
Thus, in the last 10-15 years, Turkey has been able to carry out a major modernization of its military-industrial complex, thanks to which it has received a number of new opportunities. Now they are used to develop their army and earn money on the international market, and the situation as a whole is conducive to optimism. However, with all the achievements and successes, Turkey is unlikely to ever be able to reach the level of world leaders - Russia, China or the United States.
