Turkey shows the world the jewels of its military industry at its IDEF exhibition
Istanbul is hosting the 16th edition of its International Defence Industry Fair, IDEF 2023, until 28 July.
Turkey's economic capital and the country's most populous city with more than 15 million inhabitants will bring together 1,461 defence companies at the Tuyap Exhibition and Congress Centre, of which 772 are from more than 50 countries and 689 are Turkish companies, the latter being largely unknown to Europeans.
The 16th IDEF is organised by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation, supported by the Ministry of National Defence and under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic. However, unlike in previous editions and for the first time during his term of office, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not attend the opening ceremony on Tuesday 25 July.
He was represented by Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, accompanied by the heads of the defence and industry and technology portfolios, General Yasar Güler and Mehmet Fatih Kacier, respectively, along with the president of the Defence Industry Agency, Haluk Görgün.
Despite his absence, Erdogan sent a clear message via teleconference. Citing that Turkey faces 'various hidden and open obstacles and embargoes', he said that he attaches 'great importance to the development of the defence industry', that his Defence Ministry has '850 armament projects underway' and that he aspires that 'all the land, aerospace and maritime platform needs of its Armed Forces can be covered by the national industrial ecosystem'.
A Turkish 5th generation stealth fighter under development
Erdogan is aware that a strong defence industry is an inseparable component of national security. Therefore, the instructions he has given to his new defence minister, General Yasar Güler - former chief of the defence staff and in office since mid-July - are to provide the armed forces with "domestically produced, state-of-the-art systems, equipment and ammunition to increase their deterrence capability and improve their effectiveness in current and future combat environments".
According to the new minister, although many Turkish military products have been exported to 170 countries, his aim is to "increase Turkey's competitiveness in the global market. That is why one of the lines of action is to "share technologies and experiences with friendly and allied countries".
IDEF'23 was attended by official delegations from more than 80 nations, including those headed by the defence ministers of Senegal, Kenya and Gabon, Sidika Kaba, Aden Bare Duale and Felicité Ongouori Ngoubili, respectively. The latter minister also attended the FEINDEF exhibition in Madrid in mid-May and held a meeting with the Spanish Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles.
The Minister of Defence of Tajikistan, General Sherali Mirzo, took advantage of his stay at IDEF to sign a military cooperation agreement with his Turkish counterpart. And Azerbaijan's Defence Minister, General Zakir Hasanov, also present in Istanbul, said he was interested "in many Turkish-made weapons systems, but I will not reveal their names for reasons of confidentiality". He did, however, sign an agreement with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) to modernise its ageing Su-25 ground-attack fighters.
TAI is Turkey's leading aerospace industry. It manufactures combat aircraft and helicopters, satellites and drones. One of its flagship products is the future national 5th generation fighter, codenamed TF-X Kaan, which is currently under development. But the Turkish military's top brass can't wait for the Kaan to enter service. The new fighter is undergoing trials and is flying with a pair of General Electric F110 engines and will not be flying with domestically produced engines until 2028, TAI director general Temel Kotil confirmed at IDEF'23.
The aircraft carrier Anadolu, the Turkish sister ship of the Juan Carlos I
With this in mind, air force chief General Atilla Gülan has decided to modernise his veteran fleet of more than 200 F-16 fighter jets of American origin, but manufactured decades ago in the Eurasian country. The aim is to increase their flying time from 8,000 to 12,000 hours.
As subcontractors to TAI, Turkish electronic systems and missile companies Aselsan and Roketsan, respectively, will install new domestically designed and manufactured electro-optical, communications and active electronically scanning radar systems, as well as Gokdogan and Bozdogan air-to-air, Gezgin and Cakir cruise and Atmaca anti-ship missiles on the F-16s.
Turkish industry is also renowned for its advanced technology in the manufacture of unmanned aerial vehicles, both armed and unarmed. Among the latter are Baykar's TB2 and Akinci combat drones, which have made a name for themselves in the war in Ukraine.
The Eurasian country is one of ten nations with the capability to build its own patrol boats, corvettes, frigates, and large warships up to submarines, according to the Turkish Defence Ministry. An example of this is the Anadolu, which is based on the Navy's Juan Carlos I amphibious aircraft carrier designed and built by Navantia, the only Spanish company present at IDEF'23.
The Anadolu - coded L400 - is a 232-metre-long, 27,500-tonne displacement aircraft carrier that has become a reality to ensure that Turkey has a "more powerful and deterrent" navy, emphasised President Erdogan. Built at the Sedef shipyard in Istanbul, it was received by the navy on 10 April. In the contract signed on 30 July 2015, Navantia undertook to transfer its technology to Sedef, to manufacture the platform's propulsion and control system and to provide technical assistance.