China, UAE to hold third air force drills as defense ties warm: What we know China and the United Arab Emirates are further deepening their defense and military ties with a third round of aerial exercises. United Arab Emirates
Turkey defense firms break record with $10B in revenues: SIPRI Turkey set a new record with five companies in the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's Top 100 for 2024, which included nine Middle Eastern countries for the first time amid conflict-driven arms demand. Turkey
US approves $1.4B in military sales to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain: What to know An estimated $1 billion in foreign military sales will go to Saudi Arabia, and $445 million will go to Bahrain. United States
Trump says US will sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia, first Arab country to acquire jets The deal could rattle Washington's ties with Israel and is not likely to be approved by Congress unless conditioned on Saudi normalization of ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia
Analysis Turkey boosts R&D spending to $20B amid push for defense self-sufficiency By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Drones could make Turkey-Greece clashes less risky, but more frequent Disputes between Greece and Turkey over Aegean airspace go back decades, but drones could change the face of their encounters drastically. Turkey
Russia seeks closer military-technical cooperation with UAE Russia is looking to revive its lapsed status as a major weapons supplier to the United Arab Emirates and to develop collaborative technology projects. United Arab Emirates
Turkey targets 30% hike in military spending next year Turkey expects the public to fund a huge increase in military expenditures through new direct tax hikes and price increases. Turkey
US missile defense sale to Saudis seen as effort to thwart Russia The Donald Trump administration OK’d a $15 billion sale of anti-missile technology to Saudi Arabia after Riyadh moved to buy a rival Russian system. Saudi Arabia
As EU ties chill, UK-Turkey defense cooperation thrives While relations between the United Kingdom and Turkey are still strained, cooperation between the two countries on defense and aerospace projects is flourishing. Turkey
Citing US threat, Iran parliament looks to boost IRGC budget Iran’s parliament seeks to increase the military budget for the IRGC in response to the new policies of the Trump administration. United States
Iranian missiles worry Israel From Israel’s viewpoint, the missiles that Iran launched June 18 failed to hit their target, but demonstrated the missile construction and launching capacities developed by Iran. Israel
Turkey's Altay tank project not ready to roll after all Now that Turkey's government has rejected Otokar's bid for the Altay tank contract, other companies will participate in the tender, including BMC — a Turkish/Qatari partnership whose chairman is a close friend of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Israel silent on massive US-Saudi arms deal Israel, which prides itself on being the world’s biggest enemy of terrorism, accepted with equanimity the massive US arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Turkey unveiling defense industry innovations it hopes will boost exports Turkey’s defense industry will exhibit ambitious products at the IDEF Fair, largely aimed at foreign markets. Turkey
Are US-Turkey military ties under threat? Both Ankara and Washington seem to be oblivious to the changing nature of their relations. Turkey
How post-coup purges depleted Turkey's military New data shows military purges by the Turkish government in the aftermath of the July 15 coup attempt have adversely affected the combat strength of the Turkish Armed Forces. Turkey