The year 2022 will see the completion of previously started defense industry projects, new systems being handed over to security forces and new projects being initiated according to needs, Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) Chairperson Ismail Demir said Monday.
Speaking at a meeting about the 2022 objectives at the headquarters of the Turkish defense contractor Havelsan in the capital Ankara, Demir said it was the defense industry that has made the most progress among sectors in the past 20 years.
"Our sector, with its around 1,500 companies and 80,000 workers, has today become one of the sectors that contribute most to our country’s economy."
He added that the sector had annual revenue of $10 billion with over 750 projects and other activities, while it has reached a record export figure of $3.22 billion annually.
"Domestic and national products have been used successfully in the anti-terror operations of our security forces both within borders and abroad," he said.
Demir elaborated that Turkey's first indigenous multirole helicopter, the Gökbey developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), will be handed over to Gendarmerie General Command, while HÜRJET, the country’s domestically developed advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft, will leave the hangar and commence ground testing this year.
Meanwhile, micro UAV-D systems and the mini UAV BOYGA will be used for the first time. The Bayraktar TB3 drone, developed as an aircraft that could land on and take off from vessels, will also make its first flight.
Within the scope of the GÖKTUĞ air-to-air missile project, the first delivery of the Bozdoğan air-to-air in-sight and beyond-sight missiles will enter production.
BOZDOĞAN, along with the beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) Gökdoğan, another homegrown system, are being developed under the Göktüğ project run by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey's (TÜBITAK) Defense Industries Research and Development Institute (SAGE).
Moreover, the GÖKDENIZ close-in weapon system (CIWS) will be integrated into the Istanbul frigate for the first time, while the first delivery of the portable air defense system Sungur will be made for the first time and the KARAOK missile will enter the inventory in 2022.
The first deliveries of the PARS 6x6 Special Operations Vehicle, developed by combat vehicle manufacturer FNSS, and the armored amphibious assault vehicle ZAHA as well as the ZMA, the modernized first armored attack vehicle with an integrated unmanned weapon tower, will be made.
Demir also mentioned that more new projects will be announced later in the year.
Exports made to 170 countries
Exports of defense industry projects are currently made to 170 countries, while the number of products exported, including UAVs, armed UAVs, ground vehicles and sea platforms, has reached 228, Demir said, reiterating that Turkey’s armed UAVs have gained worldwide attention recently.
Turkish drones have gained popularity since the hardware was deployed in Syria, Libya and Azerbaijan during conflicts that were prominently covered around the world.
Ankara hopes to use these successes in its quest to become a premier exporter of UAVs.
The UAVs are currently in active use in Turkey, Qatar, Libya, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, while many countries are interested in buying the drones.
The Bayraktar – with its electronics, software, aerodynamics, design and sub-main systems fully designed and developed domestically – stands out as the world's most advanced UAV system in its class with its flight automation and performance.
It has a record altitude of 27,030 feet for over 24 hours in the air and can carry 150 kilograms (over 330 pounds) of cargo. It can operate day and night with useful loads.
'Whole world our target'
"The whole world is our target," Demir said when asked which countries are more interested in Turkey’s defense industry. "As the quality and performance of our products are seen, demand is increasing."
Efforts in the domestic and national defense industry have built up Turkey’s resistance against veiled embargoes, Demir pointed out, saying that these can involve waiting for long evaluation processes for export permission. He gave the example of Turkey's domestic main battle tank (MBT) Altay. Demir said that no rejection for delivery of the motors was officially issued but that the process still takes years.
The tactic of distraction is being used while some companies and lobbies tend not to deliver products in some situations, he explained. "The solution to this is local products. We continue efforts toward localization of strategic products and those with technological depth."
"Our position in the domestic and national defense industry has accelerated our own projects against embargoes," Demir said, indicating that the industry, under the coordination of the SSB, continues with a wide scale of development, ranging from design, mass production, research and development, innovation and industrialization.
Demir elaborated that risk analysis is ongoing to find alternatives and to produce domestic products to replace imported ones. The sector is researching basic technologies that we are dependent on for foreign imports, he said.
Offering details about the SAMP-T missile defense system developed by the Franco-Italian EUROSAM consortium, a project Turkey has announced it may cooperate in, Demir said that negotiations had extended and that progress could be made if the other side takes the necessary steps.
‘Greece’s efforts futile'
Asked about Greece’s arms race and recent defense purchases, Demir said that these efforts are in vain.
"This has no other effect other than increasing the expenses of the country. The balance of power will always be to the advantage of Turkey."
Despite having said that it has no intention of entering an arms race with its neighbor and NATO ally Turkey, Greece announced in September its purchase of three new Belharra frigates from France with the option for one more.
Greece also announced that it was planning to buy another six Rafale fighter jets.
Greece has often been embroiled in tensions with Turkey over a range of issues, from competing claims over hydrocarbon resources in the Aegean Sea to the demilitarization of the islands. Greece's burgeoning arms program is designed to counter Turkish challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean, against which France is among the few European Union states to have offered public support in past months.
On recent tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Demir highlighted the strong relations Turkey has with both countries and underlined that efforts are ongoing for the ties to remain unaffected by the crisis.
Turkey has been closely following the developments and is in close contact with both Kyiv and Moscow. Turkey announced it could mediate between the neighbors amid increasing tensions in the region and recently announced plans to visit Ukraine in February to help defuse tensions.
NATO member Turkey has friendly ties with both Kyiv and Moscow but opposes Russian policies in Syria and Libya, as well as its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
Kyiv has also bought Turkish drones to possibly use against Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine, angering Moscow, and agreed with Ankara to manufacture the drones locally this year.