Turkey's Drones | Game Changer

 Drone warfare is becoming increasingly important in conflicts around the world, and the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine is no exception.

Photo by Iewek Gnos on Unsplash

In such a case, a country located in the south of these two countries across the Black Sea is currently getting a lot of attention.

Turkish-made drones could play an important role for Ukraine's forces to deploy in the ongoing conflict with Russia. In fact, Turkish drones have been instrumental in many other conflicts around the world.

The report is about Turkey's increasing drone power.

How big is Turkey in this field?

Turkey is the only Muslim member of the Western military alliance NATO.

Turkey has the second largest military in the NATO alliance after the United States and shares military technology with its allies.

"The Ankara government has developed a significant drone force over the past 20 years," says Erda Moludoglu, an independent defense analyst based in Turkey.

"They are effectively using their drones in security operations inside Turkey and across the border (against Kurdish separatist militants since the mid-1990s)."

He said that drone technology has been given top priority in developing the country's defense industry. In terms of operational and production capacity, Turkey is in the best position in the region apart from Israel.

Turkish drone manufacturers

There are two main manufacturers of drones (UAVs) in Turkey.

Baker Defense company manufactures 'Biraktar TB2' and 'Biraktar Akanji' drones which are in high demand.

The company's chief technical officer, Seljuk Berktar, has close family ties to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he is also the Turkish president's son-in-law.

Another major drone manufacturer is Turkish Aerospace Industries, which manufactures TAI Inca and TAI Aksangur.

According to Erda Moludoğlu, Turkey's armed forces and security agencies operate more than 150 drones developed by them. Apart from these, they also use "a large number of small surveillance drones".

Which countries have Turkish-made drones?

In terms of drone sales, Turkish customers are growing rapidly.

The country's export figures do not include any specific reference to the exact number of drones sold in its commercial deals.

But more than 15 countries are believed to have ordered Turkish-made Birktar and TI drones.

Berktar TB2 drones have proven to be effective and efficient in the recent conflicts in Syria and Libya, as well as in Nagorno-Karabakh. And since then their demand has notably increased.

The latest fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan continued for several days, with Azerbaijani forces using Turkish-made drones to target Armenian troops, military vehicles, artillery and air defense systems, regaining control of some disputed territory. Helped to do.

In May last year, Poland's defense minister said it would buy 24 armed drones from Turkey, making Poland the first NATO member to do so.

Africa is also a major market for Turkish drones.

"Turkey seems to be the main competitor for Chinese manufacturers, especially in the African market," explains Erda Mevlodoğlu.

"Turkey's low-cost drones come with NATO-standard performance and the quality of its armed drones."

Morocco, Algeria, Rwanda, Nigeria and Ethiopia have shown interest in Turkish-made drones.

Military deals are not publicized, but Turkey signed a defense cooperation agreement with Ethiopia last year and export figures show rapid growth in the aviation sector.

In December last year, US officials also expressed concerns over Turkey's sale of drones to Ethiopia.

But Turkey may choose to seek new markets for its military hardware regardless.

"Drone sales will enable (Turkey) to establish continuous military-industrial relations, which in turn will allow Turkey to build its military presence in and around the country receiving the drones," defense analyst Moludoglu said. , will help increase diplomatic and economic influence.

And Turkey is eyeing Africa as a market, as President Erdogan himself has expressed.

While visiting the African countries of Angola, Nigeria and Togo in October last year, he said that 'wherever I go in Africa, everyone asks about UAVs.'

Monday Motivation July 29, 2022 0