A new official report showcases how far Turkey has advanced its defense industry, but it also points to the lack of resources for the country’s ambitious geopolitical outlook and indigenous military projects.
Turkey’s Defense Ministry earlier this month released its 2023 activities report. The breakdown of planned purchases for the military’s three main services — army, navy and air force — looks groundbreaking, because it promises to modernize almost all major combat and support elements or provide them with brand-new platforms.
On land, the Turkish military will continue acquiring dozens of new T-155 Firtina self-propelled howitzers and install hybrid engines and new turrets to its US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, to turn them into infantry fighting vehicles of which Turkey owns more than 2,000. Meanwhile, US-made M60 and German-made Leopard 2 tanks will be furnished with new fire control and armor plating to make them more compatible with Turkish-made Altay main battle tanks.
In the air, beside upgrading the fleet of F-16s and acquiring dozens of unmanned drones with increased capabilities, the Turkish air force is retrofitting its cargo planes with domestic avionics. The report also had a section on the country’s first domestically manufactured orbital ground surveillance satellite, IMECE, which came into operation after being launched from California last year. This section also mentioned Ankara’s intention to acquire new generation F-16s from the United States, which was made possible once Turkey ratified Sweden’s NATO membership earlier this year.
