At an accelerated pace, Turkey has become dependent on local production for a large and important part of its requirements in the military industries, after it was almost completely dependent on import. The Ministry of Defense recently successfully tested the launch of the "Atmaga" anti-ship missile and the local "MMA" minesweeper.
It is decided that the "Ataja" missile will be an alternative to the American Harpoon missiles, and the minesweeper "MUMAT" has passed all international tests and obtained full points in the evaluation, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense.
The "Atmaga" (meaning Falcon) surface-to-sea missile is produced by the Turkish company "Roketsan", known for producing various types of guided, unguided and laser missiles. It is capable of hitting fixed and moving targets from a distance of 220 km, and can carry high-explosive warheads weighing up to 250 kilograms.
The missile can also reach the target in both linear and vertical levels, and its target can be changed even after launch, and it is equipped with an electronic jamming system.
Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Warank said that Turkish engineers had developed an engine that was designed for use in medium-range anti-ship missiles, which carries great importance for the advancement of defense industries.
He pointed out that despite the small size of the engine, it is able to produce about 400 horsepower.
Bakanlığımız bağlısı ASFAT A.Ş.
tarafından yerli ve millî imkânlarla üretilen 20 adet MEMATT'ı (Mekanik Mayın Temizleme Teçhizatı) kardeş ülke # Azerbaycan'a ihraç ediyoruz.
Kayseri'den hareket eden Hava Kuvvetlerimize ait uçakla Bakü'ye ilk parti sevkiyat gerçekleşiyor. @ MSB_ASFAT pic.twitter.com/syXYdOwetn
- TC Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) February 4, 2021
As for the minesweeper "MUMAT", it passed all the tests successfully, and its name comes as an abbreviation for "mechanical equipment for mine clearance".
The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that its subsidiary "ASFAT" had begun exporting 20 minesweepers manufactured with local capabilities to Azerbaijan in order to perform their duties in mine clearance.
The Turkish Military Factories and Arsenals Operating Company "Asfat" was established in early 2018 and plays an important role in marketing defense products with completely local capabilities.
Minister of Industry and Technology in front of a locally manufactured engine (Anatolia)
Defense industries
Since the AKP came to power, it has made the development of the defense industry a long-term goal, and under the direct follow-up of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, about 70% of this sector has become domestically manufactured compared to 20% when he rose to power in 2003.
This boom comes in implementation of the ambitions of the national development plan "Vision 2023", in which public and private companies contribute a large share, through investing heavily in research and development activities, and supporting the government's efforts to diversify its defense products.
Turkish ambitions do not stop at this point, but rather Ankara aims to export military products worth more than $ 25 billion annually by 2023, supported by unremitting efforts by Turkish companies to develop combat systems and guided weapons.
Reports of Turkish military exports show that the United States is the largest importer of weapons from Turkey with a value of $ 748 million, then Germany with a value of $ 242.21 million, and the Sultanate of Oman came third, followed by Qatar, the Emirates, the Netherlands, Britain, India, Poland and France.
Industrial production is the most important source of hard currency, as Turkey has managed over the past five years to export weapons, drones and high-tech defense vehicles to the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.
Bayraktar Aengi, and before her, her sister Bayraktar TB2, became world names for drones that Turkey is proud of, especially as it has moved from the stage of self-sufficiency in producing drone engines to exporting them and entering the door of global competition.
Kayriq has also become one of the most important defense industries centers in Turkey, as it includes the Chemical and Mechanical Industries Corporation (MKEK), and investments for the private sector in the first industrial zone specializing in the manufacture of weapons that was established in the state in 2014.
A successful test-launch of a missile manufactured by the Roketsan company last year (Anatolia)
World ranking
Turkish defense industries companies continue to strengthen their position in the list of the top 100 companies producing weapons and military equipment in the world.
4 giant Turkish companies were able to enter the US magazine, Defense News, which ranks annually the top 100 global companies in the field of defense industries, namely: Turkish Aselsan, Turkish Air and Space Industries (Tusas), and STM ( STM) for engineering, design and modernization of naval military equipment, drones, space technology and radar, and finally the company "Roktsan" which specializes in the manufacture of missiles and missiles.
In the context, the journalist specialized in military affairs, Ijlal Edenguz, said that Turkey is living its golden age in the field of defense industries, explaining that the success of its national projects in the military field reflected positively on the results of its battles against terrorism.
Edenguz said in a report on the Turkish official channel page that Turkey has been facing great complications in obtaining Western weapons to fight its enemies by imposing embargoes and canceling deals or linking approval to endless lists of difficult conditions, until it decided to go instead to projects for the production of national arms. And the "Ataja" missile and the minesweeper "MAMAT" come to complete the Turkish defense industrial revolution.