In the race to arm Asia, can ‘cost-effective’ newcomer Turkey surpass ‘quality’ South Korea?

As a Nato member, Turkey offers Asian buyers access to advanced defence technology without the strict preconditions of US and European exporters

But it has so far struggled to secure large-scale orders from the region, despite racking up lucrative contracts in the Middle East and Ukraine

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A Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drone, made famous by Ukraine’s use of them against Russian forces in the ongoing war. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:30am, 5 Sep 2023

Having secured its largest-ever arms orders from the Gulf Arab states over the last year, Turkey is now looking to expand beyond the Middle East and compete with South Korea to sell its Nato-standard weapons to Asia.

Turkish defence manufacturers hope to attract Asian nations interested in reducing their reliance on imported arms by offering weapons-development partnerships for military hardware such as the fifth-generation Kaan warplane, Altay main battle tank, and the L400 light aircraft carrier – the world’s first warship designed to carry drones instead of warplanes.

As a Nato member, Turkey offers prospective customers access to advanced defence technologies, without the tough preconditions imposed by the likes of US and European exporters.

This enables buyers to avoid the politically sensitive alternative of acquiring Chinese or Russian arms, which would risk invoking Western sanctions.

“Turkey’s military equipment often stands out for being cost-effective, reliable, and in some cases, superior to alternatives,” said Ali Bakir, a Turkey expert and non-resident senior fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council think tank’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative.

Many countries in the Middle East have recently bought Turkish combat drones after “experiencing inefficiencies with pricier Chinese” unmanned aerial vehicles like the Wing Loong-1 and 2, Bakir said.

The United Arab Emirates last year placed an estimated US$2 billion order for 120 of Turkey’s Bayraktar medium-altitude, long-endurance TB2 drones, made famous by Ukraine’s use of them against Russian forces in the ongoing war.

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