“In the first 9 months of 2020, the COVID outbreak caused the commercial aircraft market to shrink by about 40 percent,” said Naki Polat, president of Turkey’s Defense and Aerospace Industry Exporters’ Association, known as SSI. “In the post-COVID recovery period, new standards in passenger transport, new products designed accordingly and adapted production processes are being investigated. Companies that revise their investment plans are turning to next-generation technologies.”

Turkey’s almost 50 years of experience in aerospace help position the country’s industry for recovery.

More than a century in the skies

The Turkish Air Force was established in 1911 and helped win the War of Turkish Independence in 1922. When the country joined the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance in 1952, it took delivery of its first jet fighters, which were used to protect NATO’s southern regions during the Cold War. As the Turkish Air Force flew these aircraft – such as the F-100, F-104 and now the F-16 – it participated in NATO air operations in the Balkans, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Libya.

Training and education have served as pillars of Turkey’s aerospace community. The country started providing higher education for pilots in 1941 and then in 1973, it established the Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (Turkish Aerospace) to reduce its reliance on the defense industries of other countries. Today, pilots in the Turkish Air Force generally fly twice the monthly flight time required of NATO pilots to gain experience.

Leveraging industry

As the country’s Air Force has evolved, the Turkish defense industry has made advances as well.

Turkey’s military aerospace capabilities improved steadily and leapt forward in the 1980s with the establishment of Turkish Aerospace facility near Ankara. The company now manufactures T129 ATAK helicopters, ANKA MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) UAV systems as well as HURKUŞ Training Aircraft. Turkish Aerospace plans to leverage its experience and knowhow with the new utility helicopter GOKBEY, advanced jet trainer HURJET and fifth-generation National Fighter Aircraft (MMU) for the Turkish Air Force.

“Turkey has never stopped investing in critical technologies, training valuable human sources and initiating synergy through our industry to be a reliable partner for all levels of international cooperation,” said Ismail Demir, president of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB). “Turkey has key companies for major components on our platforms, including airframe, engines, mission equipment and weapons.”

Among those leading businesses TEI manufacturing propulsion systems and engines for fixed and rotary wing platforms and unmanned air vehicles, and has been a critical contractor for Turkey’s aviation ecosystem. Aselsan, is a key provider of electronics and avionics equipment for air, naval and systems, including fifth-generation fighter. And Havelsan, is a company developing software and flight simulators to prepare pilots for next generation air platforms.

The future of Turkey’s aerospace industry

Turkey’s future in aerospace will be dependent on expanding technological capabilities as well as qualified manpower. Unmanned systems and helicopters are among the country’s top priorities.

Baykar Defence produces the TB-2 combat MALE UAV, which as has been used in both national and international missions and Roketsan is one of the leading missiles and ammunition provider of airborne operations along with government-based corporations MKEK and TUBITAK. Two other Turkish contractors, Vestel and STM, are making headway in unmanned operations as well. Vestel has built drones for combat and intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance while STM has focused on unmanned systems for reconnaissance and surveillance for fixed and rotary-winged systems.

“Radar and electronic warfare technologies, flight controls, turbine engines, mission computers, advanced composite materials, rotorcraft mechanics and smart weapons are essential for a strong aerospace industry,” Demir said. “SSB has development programs for these technologies.”

A series of other Turkish subcontractors are also expected to play key roles here. They include Meteksan, which produces advanced technologies such as radar and sensor systems; Kale Aero, which builds components including engine parts, structural parts and mini jet engines; Alp Aviation, which manufactures structural body and engine parts, as well as landing gear for helicopter and aircraft platforms; SDT, which produces training and electronic systems; Asfat, which performs maintenance and repair services for military factories; and Turkish Technic, which has established itself among the world leaders in maintenance and repair; and many others which manufacture structural components for a variety of platforms, including aerospace.

“It is important to be ready for the future, companies investing for new technologies and capabilities and prepare their infrastructure will adapt themselves easily than the others.” Polat said. “The Turkish defense and aerospace industry, will continue to increase its international cooperation in the post-pandemic period as well.”

But the moves also displayed the evolution of Turkey’s military shipbuilding industry and technological capacity.

More recently, when countries around the world have sought to enhance their maritime forces, they have often found a partner in Turkey. The country has exported more than 130 military ships to nations that include Malaysia, Georgia, Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar and Turkmenistan.

“Today, our industry produces high-tech and highly capable products,” said Naki Polat, president of Turkey’s Defense and Aerospace Industry Exporters’ Association, known as SSI. “When we examine the ships produced by the Turkish Naval Forces in recent years, the activities are carried out for almost all kinds of surface and underwater elements. This design diversity shows Turkey’s determination to design, develop and produce all kinds of modern and highly capable warships.”

A history of (modern) shipbuilding

Turkey’s Navy and Coast Guard forces operate more than 300 ships, with more than 230 built by military and civilian commercial shipyards from throughout the country. This figure includes submarines, frigates, corvettes and amphibious assault vessels and represents the evolution of decades of Turkish shipbuilding that began in 1937.

The country’s shipbuilding efforts were interrupted by World War II, resumed during the Cold War with the country’s role in NATO and then matured during the 1980s with the design and construction of modern warships, including a 1,000-ton submarine and the frigate TCG Fatih at the Gölcük Naval Shipyard. Turkey also produced support and landing ships at shipyards such as Anadolu, Desan and İstanbul.

More recently, in the 21st century, the modernization of Turkey’s Navy has become a focus of the country’s defense industry. A key element of this effort has been the MILGEM or National Ship program, under which the nation has produced frigates and corvettes equipped with advanced electronics and weapons systems. As part of the program, shipbuilders such as Yonca-Onuk, Ares, Dearsan and RMK Marine also produce patrol boats, which are a main element of Turkey’s export capability. The country enhanced this effort in 2017 when five large, privately-owned shipyards — Sedef, Anadolu, Sefine, Selah and Istanbul — merged to form the Turkish Associated International Shipyards (TAIS) consortium.

“The inventory of our Naval Forces Command is one of the most important elements of our national defense,” said Ismail Demir, president of the Turkish Presidency of Defense Industries. “The MİLGEM project has been developed to perform reconnaissance and surveillance, target detection, identification and recognition, early warning missions and base and port defense, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, amphibious operations and patrol duties for Turkish Naval Forces.”

Industry officials say the crown jewel of the country’s effort to build a world-class navy could be the construction of the TCG Anadolu, the Turkish Navy’s first light aircraft carrier. Leaders plan to complete the vessel, which will be the largest ship in the Turkish Naval Forces, in 2021.

State-of-the-art NATO compatibility

As it has improved its shipbuilding capabilities over the decades, Turkey has also enhanced its technological sophistication. This includes the development of weapons and electronic warfare capabilities that are compatible with NATO standards and will enable Turkey to conduct network-centric warfare. The infrastructure to support these efforts has come from companies such as ASELSAN, Ayesaş, Meteksan, Havelsan, KOÇ Savunma, Tubitak MAM , Armelsan and STM.

At the same time, Turkey has become a supplier of advanced military systems around the world. The Turkish defense industry has developed systems for combat management, naval mission management, platform level EMI-EMC analysis/tests, platform track management, torpedo and torpedo countermeasures, underwater acoustics and sonar, integrated combat, weapons and missiles, fire control, radar, navigation and platform management in an integrated manner.

“The diversity and superior features of our products are important pillars for increasing our exports on naval platforms,” Polat said. “In this way, we can produce systems for changing needs and extend the service life of platforms in an up-to-date and functional manner.”

The defense industry within Turkey has specialized in 4×4, 6×6 and 8×8 armored platforms, tracked infantry fighting vehicles as well as main battle tanks and weapon systems are manufactured by local private companies like FNSS, Otokar, BMC and Nurol Makina. Besides its National Security Forces use of them, these systems are exported to a wide range of users worldwide. 8×8 PARS, 6×6 PARS, 6X6 ARMA; 4×4 COBRA, EJDER YALCIN, VURAN; ALTAY MBT and KAPLAN Medium Tanks are the most remarkable product samples of Turkish Defense Industry competing at the global markets.

Since it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance in 1952, Turkey has been a critical member of the organization. As western nations sought to contain the expansion of Soviet communism, the addition of Turkey delivered the alliance a foothold in the Middle East.

In the 1980s, several NATO allies began an effort to modernize their weapons systems, a movement Turkey joined enthusiastically. The country also sought to develop its own capability for weapons production to reduce its dependence on foreign manufacturers. In the years since, Turkey’s success as a developer of weapons systems has led it to become a key supplier around the world.

The Turkish defense industry started its journey with licensed production of armored combat vehicles (ACV’s) and today has access to more complex vehicles and systems such as armored amphibious rigs, antitank vehicles, medium and main battle tanks together with a wide range of turret solutions.

Public-private partnership

An essential element of Turkey’s success has been its ability to take advantage of contributions from government and private industry. The government’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) was established in 1985, followed by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation (TAFF) in 1987. Born of the merger of many similar foundations, TAFF holds majority shares of several key, private defense companies in Turkey:

· ASELSAN, which integrates and modernizes ground weapon systems and C4ISR

· ROKETSAN, which produces technologies for propelled ammunition, guided ammunition, advanced missile systems and ballistic solutions

· HAVELSAN, which provides software, training simulations and system integration

· ASPİLSAN and İŞBİR, which focus on power and energy systems (such as generators and batteries) for land operations

· TURKISH AEROSPACE, which provides solutions for aviation and space

In addition, MKEK, a weapon and ammunition manufacturer, and ASFAT, which includes military factories, are both affiliated with the state but can carry out commercial activities. Established by SSB for design and production, STM is just one another critical company. Other private enterprises that have made a name in the firearms sector include: Kale, Sarsılmaz, Canik Arms and YDS.

“We manufacture products and services to meet the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces with the coordination of the Presidency of Defense Industries,” said Naki Polat, president of SSI. “The Turkish Armed Forces demand products and services that have superior capabilities, which require very challenging tests and trials.”

Key success in land systems

The value of stringent testing by Turkish defense manufacturers can be seen in the success of their land warfare systems. Development of these systems is aimed to address specific threats seen in combat operations. For example, in order to respond to armed pickup trucks used by terrorists, Nurol Makina produced the completely armored weapon platform NMS, a vehicle with a speed of greater than 140 km/h.

Engineers have also incorporated combat experience into their unique design of vehicles such as the Rapid Deployable Amphibious Wet Gap Crossing System (OTTER AAAB).

“Land systems are an area where we see the value of our investments in a concrete way, where foreign dependency is minimized and we have a wide product range,” said Ismail Demir, president of the Turkish defense procurement authority (SSB). “In the new generation of main battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, tactical wheeled armored vehicles that can be adapted to different missions, unmanned ground vehicles and other land systems we have developed, NATO operation requirements and standards have been taken into consideration from the beginning of the projects.”

Providing defense beyond Turkey’s borders

With its success in producing high-quality weapons systems for its own military, Turkey has advanced to exporting weapons systems to other countries. It supplies systems to countries in the Middle East and Far East as well as within NATO. The Turkish defense industry focuses not only on meeting the demands of warfighters but also on developing new products to address these needs quickly. With its joint production and technology transfer efforts to Kazakhstan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, UAE, Azerbaijan and Indonesia; defense industry of Turkey have also became a technology provider to various countries.

Now, companies are developing systems to deal with myriad warfighting scenarios, ranging from suicide bombings to underground and tunnel warfare to guided anti-tank weapons and defense.

“Next-generation threats make it mandatory to develop next-generation solutions.” said Demir. “When we look at these threats, we see that the active protection system is important, and we are working to be a leading country in this field. We also strive to be a similar pioneer for light, medium and heavy-class unmanned ground vehicles that NATO allies may increasingly need in the future.”