Turkey says Qatar Eurofighter jet deal still on track despite Iran war Ankara expects Doha to submit a draft sales contract for the fighter jets, as Turkey seeks to acquire aircraft that can be delivered sooner than its newly ordered Eurofighters. Turkey
Turkey sends Mecca defense pact with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to parliament for ratification Ankara is weighing military assistance to Riyadh as Houthi attacks intensify, though any Turkish deployment is expected to be limited. Turkey
Meet Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi, Iran's defense minister nominee Akhlaghi Ketabchi has been heavily involved in Iran's missiles programs, and it is not clear how much input Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had in the nomination process. Iran
Analysis Turkey revives F-16 talks with US amid Israel, Greece deterrence concerns Ankara’s renewed talks with Washington come as older aircraft near retirement while the Eurofighter and Kaan remain years from filling Turkey’s future air-power needs. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Exclusive Rights, faith groups urge Congress to block $2.8B bomb sale to Israel By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Analysis Why Netanyahu is distancing himself from Trump ahead of Israeli election By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Dubai Airshow 2021 kicks off with expectations of big deals The rise in attacks around the region in recent years using drones pushed the sales of UAV technologies in the Middle East to reach $1.5 billion over the last five years. Legacy: Gulf
Israel floats trial for new balloon-based drone, missile-detecting radar The early-detection balloon and radar are the latest in Israel's rapidly growing arsenal of missile defense systems. Israel
In troubled US-Turkey relations, F-16 deal seen as path for dialogue US President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Sunday to discuss an F-16 fighter jet purchase, which analysts see as an avenue for “positive” dialogue amid bilateral tensions. Turkey
Ukraine uses Turkish drone for first time against pro-Russian forces Turkey's ties with Ukraine have complicated relations with Russia. News Brief
Drone sale to Ethiopia could jeopardize Turkey-Egypt dialogue Turkey risks derailing normalization talks with Egypt by selling armed drones to Ethiopia, in addition to coming under international fire should Ethiopia use the drones in the conflict in Tigray. Turkey
Iraq seeks to attach strings to arms purchases from Turkey Talks on the sale of Turkish armed drones and combat helicopters to Iraq have hit snags amid Iraqi efforts to extract concessions on contentious issues in bilateral ties. Turkey
Biden move on Egypt aid slammed by human rights groups The Biden administration is reportedly releasing some of the military aid that Congress had conditioned on Egypt making human rights improvements. Egypt
Why Serbia wants to buy SPIKE missiles from Israel While prospects for actual conflict use are slim, Belgrade hopes that by buying Israeli weapons it can alleviate some of the pressure it may face from Washington over Kosovo and ties with Russia and China. Israel
Erdogan heralds massive military complex to coordinate military, security agencies A planned joint complex to house Turkey’s top military bodies is touted as a move to enhance the army’s coordination and interoperability, but political and economic motivations also lurk behind the project. Turkey
Iran tests defensive missile system The military exercise was the first since President Ebrahim Raisi took office. News Brief
Turkey to host international defense fair Some of the companies that will present weapons at the fair are from countries Turkey has difficult relations with. Turkey
Egypt, Algeria find common ground on Libyan crisis Egypt and Algeria have been at odds over how to deal with the situation in Libya, but that may be changing. Egypt
