Istanbul from the site of observation to the successive production of all defense industries, this is how Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan summarized the successive disclosure of many defense industries from local production, until self-sufficiency in these industries reached about 80%, after it was less than 20%.
The Turkish government has recently announced qualitative achievements in the local defense industries, as it revealed developments in some of the latest locally made military equipment, and announced the delivery of new military equipment to the Turkish army, in steps that drew attention to the extent of development of defense industries in the country, and the timing comes this time coinciding with the approach of the general elections scheduled for May 14.
The latest of these announcements was last Tuesday, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed that the first domestic and manned jet (Free Jet) conducted its first successful flight, and this was preceded by the announcement of the addition of a national engine for the national fighter fighter (Gok Bay), the success of flight tests for the largest drone "Kyzyl Elma", the delivery of the second generation of the Turkish tank (Altay), and the delivery of the local warship "Anatolu" (TCG) to the Turkish army.
The writer and researcher in Turkish affairs, Saeed Al-Hajj, says that there is official cover and unlimited support from the Turkish government for local defense industries companies that have proven their competence in this field, explaining that the Turkish defense industries were launched mainly as a reaction to external restrictions on the export of weapons to Turkey, especially with regard to drones, which prompted them to move towards self-manufacturing.
Erdogan witnesses the launch of the second generation of the Altay tank (Anatolia)
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Al-Hajj believes, in a statement to Al Jazeera Net, that the development of local defense industries liberated Turkey from external restrictions and gave the Turkish armed forces capabilities that they did not have previously, as noted in Operation Spring Shield in February 2020 in Idlib, Syria, this also gave Turkey advanced external roles, as happened in the recent Azerbaijani-Armenian war, and support for the Libyan Government of National Accord.
The researcher considered that the leap achieved in the manufacture of drones enabled Turkey to develop its strategy in combating terrorism, whether in Syria or Iraq, against the PKK.
The arms industry and the election campaign
Saeed al-Haj believes that the revelation of Turkey's weapons development is partly related to the election campaign of Turkish President Erdogan and his party, adding, "Erdogan wants to present a basic narrative for his election campaign, which is that he has made great achievements for Turkey and is still able to do so, achievements that have to do with Turkey's strong vision and its position in the world."
He pointed out that the list of projects announced in the same period is not limited to defense industries, as it included various fields such as energy, infrastructure and heavy industries, which Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party were clearly keen to intensify their announcement before the elections to maximize his chances in them.
In contrast to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkey's opposition, particularly the Republican People's Party (CHP), criticizes the government's approach to developing defense industries, such as relying on the private sector and favoring some companies affiliated with figures close to President Erdoğan, although praising the industry's national prosperity.
The Republican People's Party (CHP) is the oldest and most prominent #تركيا party in opposition to the #أردوغان-led AKP. Will he overcome his losing streak when he runs in the upcoming elections? | #تركيا_تنتخب pic.twitter.com/0yqyFNkdCI
— Al Jazeera (@AJArabic) April 28, 2023
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader and opposition co-candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu attacked the privatization of the defense industry, saying it was "a risk" and called for the industry to be under state control.
While Kılıçdaroğlu acknowledged that the domestic industry had made significant progress and vowed that he would continue to "support investment" in the sector, opposition Democracy and Progress Party leader Ali Babacan had criticized the government's heavy support for Baykar, run by President Erdogan's son-in-law Selçuk Bayraktar, rejecting what he called inequality in support of companies specializing in the defense industry.
The review of achievements in the defense industry shows the magnitude of the enormous transformation that Erdogan has brought to Turkey in two decades, but its impact on the ruling party's election campaign may be limited or less than what Erdogan expects, according to Mahmoud Alloush, a researcher and consultant specializing in Turkish affairs.
Alloush adds to Al Jazeera Net that the main concerns of the Turkish voter in this period revolve around the economy and inflation mainly, but said: "However, the review of such achievements can attract new categories of voters, especially nationalists and enhance the cohesion of the solid electoral base of Erdogan because they see the progress of defense industries as one of the features of Erdogan's legacy."
The following is a presentation of the most prominent and latest locally manufactured military equipment and weapons announced in Turkey.
#تركيا. Engine operation of the light warplane "#حر_جيت" pic.twitter.com/Y0OurhUxHE
— Anadolu Arabia (@aa_Arabic) February 2, 2023
Jet plane "Free Jet"
The HÜRJET is 14 meters long, 4 meters high and 9.5 meters wingspan, with a single engine speed of Mach 1.4 (about 1500,45 kilometers per hour), and flying at an altitude of <>,<> feet.
The jet aircraft produced by the company "Tosach", equipped with an automatic control system and night vision, is capable of carrying out air maneuvers, attack and counterattack, and carry out "air-to-air" strikes, and "air-to-ground" strikes, and is characterized by the ability to refuel in the air.
The hypersonic aircraft has 7 weapon stations, 3 under each wing and one under the fuselage, equipped with a 20mm high-precision cannon, can be equipped with locally made laser-guided missiles, and can carry Turkish Kokdogan and Bozdogan guided missiles.
Yerli ve millî ilk insanlı süpersonik jet uçağımız HÜRJET ilk uçuşunu başarıyla gerçekleştirdi. Hamdolsun. Türkiye Yüzyılı'na armağan olsun! 🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/KkauZykunV
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) April 25, 2023
Tank "Altai 2"
The Altay is a main battle tank developed by BMC, and the Altay 2 has systems developed by Asilsan that provide it with high shooting, protection and resilience capabilities, it is equipped with homemade armor that provides it with superior protection against mines, and it also has a nuclear and chemical hazard sensing system.
The maximum speed of the tank is 65 kilometers, the maximum engine power is 1500 hp and it has the possibility of crossing from water with a depth of 4 meters.
Altai 2 is equipped with a primary weapon, a 120-millimeter artillery with the ability to fire laser-guided missiles, equipped with 40 shells, and has a remote-controlled weapon system with 12.7-millimeter automatic target tracking.
President #أردوغان: The new Altay tank will be an important strength point for the Turkish army in the region https://t.co/NdQ8sQkKVT pic.twitter.com/IBN2JFcOsR
— Anadolu Arabia (@aa_Arabic) April 23, 2023
Helicopter "Bay"
The helicopter "Gok Bay" was designed by the Turkish company TUSAŞ, in a way that meets civilian needs, and the most important tasks that it can carry out are transporting people, search and rescue, border control, air ambulance, firefighting and security operations inside and outside the country.
The domestically built TS1400 engine is a turboshaft spin engine, and the Bay flies to an altitude of 20,<> feet.
Helicopter "Atack-2"
The heavy attack helicopter has a 2500,11 horsepower engine, a maximum take-off weight of 5.1 tons and can carry a payload of 5.<> tons.
At the front of the helicopter is a 30mm gun with a camera above it that helps the captain spot, identify and then bomb targets.
The helicopter "Atack-2" has a 2500 hp engine (Turkish Armed Forces)
The march of Kzel Elma
It belongs to the sixth generation of fighter jets developed by Baykar, which produces Bayraktar and Akinji drones, and its speed is close to the speed of sound, and it will be able to take off with a payload weighing 1.5 tons of ammunition inside its body and on its wings.
The aircraft is capable of flying at 900 km/h for 5 hours continuously, at an altitude of 12 km, and is able to hide from radars.
Anadolu Barge TCG
It is a domestically made warship that recently entered the Turkish army's arsenal, with a length of 231 meters and a width of 32 meters, and a maximum load of 27 thousand tons and 436 kilograms, and a maximum speed of 20.5 knots, while the economic speed is 16 knots.
The ship can carry 13 tanks, 27 armored amphibious vehicles, 6 troop carriers, 33 military vehicles and 15 trailers, for a total of 94 vehicles, and on its surface it can accommodate 10 helicopters and 11 attack marches, while its hangar can carry 19 helicopters or 30 attack marches, in addition to accommodating a crew of 1223 personnel.
The delivery dates or announcements of qualitative developments in the course of manufacturing and production came in a close period of time over the past few weeks and a few weeks away from the May 14 elections, which are described as decisive.
The national aircraft carrier Anadolu TCG has become the most visited landmark by citizens over the past days. pic.twitter.com/JenstPXZ2F
— Turkish 🇹🇷 Deterrent (@RD_turk) April 20, 2023