How Turkiye Became a Producer Country in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles? How Has Turkiye Become a Producer in the UAV Market?

Pioneering Steps of Turkish Engineers Towards Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Development

Since the mid-1980s, Turkey had rolled up its sleeves to develop original UAVs domestically, with the idea that I could not build my own plane yet, but I could build my own unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Some of the projects were undertaken by Turkish engineers and managers working at the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI) facilities established in the Mürted plain to produce American-made F-16s under license in Turkey, but some of them remained only on paper, some of them were models or up to the pre-feasibility stage. There were some projects that came to the prototype stage but could not reach the development and marketing point. These include UAV-X1 (1989-1992), which was TAI's first original UAV project and remained in the prototype stage, and UAV-XP (1995), which was proposed as a sequel but remained on paper due to lack of support.

In 1995, in order to meet the training needs of the Ministry of National Defense air defense units, TAI completed the Turna project in a short time of one year and made its first flight in September 1996. Following the acceptance tests of the Air Force in July 1997, approximately 60 Turna Target Aircraft Systems were included in the inventory of the Air Force Command and the Land Forces Command as of 2001.

On the other hand, after the historic decision of the then Defense Industry Executive Committee (SSİK) on May 14, 2004 that foreign UAVs would not be purchased from abroad under any circumstances except for urgent purchases, the way was paved for original projects produced with domestic resources and whose automatic guidance and control algorithms were domestic software. Pioneering projects in this context include TAI's ANKA, Bayraktar's mini UAV and TB-2 programs, and Vestel's Karayel.

Today, it is a fact accepted by the world that low-cost and high-performance Turkish-made armed unmanned aerial vehicles are taking an increasing share of the global market. We all know that this success did not happen overnight and that it should be seen as a product of nearly half a century of Turkish engineering's UAV efforts, dating back to the 1980s. Among Turkish-made UAV customers, we can count some NATO countries, Arab countries in the Gulf and North Africa, and other countries such as Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Poland. It makes us all proud to see that Turkish-made UAVs are included in the inventories of at least 23 states as of this month. According to the ongoing negotiation traffic regarding UAV sales, which has an important role in increasing Turkey's influence abroad, it is expected that the number of countries using only TB-2 will soon be around 33.

Turkish Aerospace Industry (TUSAŞ) is signing new agreements for ANKA UAV. A total of 500 million dollars of exports are made to Indonesia (12 units), Algeria (10 units) and Chad (2 units). Together with Tunisia and Kazakhstan, the number of export countries reaches 5. TAI raises the bar a little higher with the increased load capacity of the twin-engine AKSUNGUR; It is preparing to bring the 'fifth generation combat UAV' ANKA-3 into the sky on December 27. After TB-2, Baykar Makina continues to make Turkish people happy with its amphibious assault ship L-401, TB-3 with foldable wings designed to land on the Anatolian runway, AKINCI with increased capacity and performance, and Kızılelma versions, which are candidates to be the unmanned warplane of the future. It does.

In this context; The existence of UAV and drone production facilities, which have become the locomotive of the Turkish defense industry, and the level of technology they have reached; When we take into account the assumption that almost all aircraft will be 'pilotless' in the future, it reinforces our belief that the future of the Turkish air and space industry will be very bright in our world where it is certain that the sky will host more and more unmanned aerial vehicles for civil and military purposes.

Success of Turkish UAVs in Azerbaijan and Ukraine Increases Defense Products Exports

UAVs and Combat UAVs (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle - UCAV) can operate via remote control by pilots working in the UAV cockpit (ground control station) on the ground via satellite connection or local networks. Some of them can be programmed to be almost fully autonomous. Autonomous UAVs can actually take off without a pilot, perform their defined mission, and then land on the area where they took off or where they need to land at the end of the mission. When UAVs began to appear on the battlefield, they were initially used mainly for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance purposes. In this respect, UAVs are not heard much; When the American Army started bombing targets in Afghanistan and Iraq with UAVs after September 11, UAVs began to find a place in the headlines.

UAVs and drones on the market perform a wide variety of functions, including surveillance, intelligence gathering, border security and use of force. Thus, the technologies used in the construction of UAVs, which enable pilots to 'fight' almost from their homes without putting them at direct risk, are developing rapidly. Now, even countries that have almost no technology can come to the point of producing UAVs that can serve their needs, even if at a primitive level, by purchasing simple UAVs and/or drones that exist in the commercial market and making small changes to them. On the other hand, the dependence on advanced technologies for the production of more advanced UAVs continues. However, many countries are making progress in producing high-tech UAVs with lower budgets compared to advanced modern warplanes. In the UAV market, which was once dominated almost exclusively by the USA, Israel and Russia, now, in addition to Turkey, new manufacturers such as China and Iran have taken their place in the role of sellers.

It seems that Turkey has now become a country that sells UAVs best. The boom in the sales of Turkish-made UAVs, in addition to their high performance in wars, shows that Turkish manufacturers do not tolerate implicit 'technology transfer' regarding UAV operating systems. While countries such as the USA and Israel are annoying the recipient countries with the restrictions they impose, Turkey's willingness to sell not only UAVs, but also ammunition and even CATS cameras is seen as a blessing for many countries. By the way, as a footnote, I would like to believe that Turkish manufacturers are being 'stingy' in transferring UAV, ammunition and sensor technologies, which the Presidency of Defense Industries and the Ministry of National Defense define as 'critical', to user countries. I hope so. Meanwhile, Turkish manufacturers provide user training to users of countries purchasing UAVs as part of the sales package. They continue to provide uninterrupted after-sales support as well as the necessary consultancy services. Turkey, which actively uses armed UAVs in the Internal Security Operation and the operational missions carried out in Syria, is turning its UAVs into more competent weapons according to its field experiences, probably due to its achievements in the field (UAV usage procedures, techniques and tactics). The fact that it does not cause problems to second countries in transferring it to users contributes to the increase in the sales of Turkish-made UAVs. On the other hand, the fact that Turkish UAVs, which operate in different geographical conditions such as Africa, which Turkey is not accustomed to, are used in extremely hot weather, desert environment, and high humidity weather conditions, enables Turkish manufacturers to channel additional problems and research and development activities to solve them. Thus, the UAV bridge established between Turkey and recipient countries continues to develop in a win-win relationship and both parties continue to benefit from it.

Turkish UAVs, which are sold at lower sticker prices than competing models and yet perform better, such as Bayraktar TB2; As it gained a reputation as an effective weapon on the battlefields of Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh and elsewhere, the Ukrainians also used TB-2s to achieve resounding success in the early months of the ongoing war with Russia. TB2s served as an important component of Ukrainian defense. Videos circulating on social media continued to include TB-2s and other UAVs' attacks on Russian tanks and military facilities among the 'topics on the agenda' for months. In this respect, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War is also a great 'advertisement' or 'successful public relations (PR)' event in which Turkish UAVs, and especially TB-2s, make their voices heard all over the world. As a campaign, it worked for Turkey. In this way, the export revenues of the Turkish defense industry increased noticeably in 2022 and 2023 and continue to increase.

In general, Turkey's defense export revenues are partially human It is increasing due to the sales of unmanned aerial vehicles and related sensors and ammunition. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), while the revenues of Western arms manufacturers contracted on average in 2022, the revenues of major Turkish defense companies increased by 22 percent compared to the previous year. Approximately 25% of Turkish defense products exports are UAVs and UAV ammunition. It is known that the balance in the economy has been noticeably deteriorated since the last months of 2021. However, I believe that the promising developments in the defense industry will have positive reflections on the development of other branches of industry, and this will benefit the recovery of the economy in the long term.

The Conduct of War is Changing

Like artificial intelligence, UAV and drone technologies are also developing rapidly. UAVs are turning into monsters that can fire rockets, smart bombs and guided missiles. We come across UAVs produced in large structures, from disposable "suicide" or "kamikaze" drones to almost a small strategic bomber plane. Combat UAVs capable of performing all kinds of air operations; The days when it will operate in enemy depths alongside manned warplanes as part of a widespread network-enabled operation are just around the corner. The potential of UAVs is about to reach so high that we are rapidly moving towards the era of "smart" UAVs, which will be able to engage in dogfights with manned warplanes when necessary, or to decide autonomously not to do so if the conditions are not suitable for them. The era of 'Man-in-the-loop' is coming to an end. The face of war is changing. A new era begins. As in the air, 'unmanned platforms' will soon be able to serve as objects of war between people at sea, on land and in space. In my opinion, people; They will leave the battlefields, hide in highly protected shelters and wait for the war between unmanned systems to end. Unmanned 'smart' systems will decide whether they are doomed or have a fresh start.

Conclusion

Turkey's UAV construction adventure, which started in the 1980s, really gained momentum after the historical SSİK decision in 2004 regarding the construction of UAVs with original and domestic resources. Turkish-made unmanned aerial vehicles capable of performing different types of aerial missions such as ANKA, TB-2, KARAYEL, AKSUNGUR, AKINCI, KARGU, KIZILELMA, ANKA-3, which started to be produced in a very short time, have become a source of pride and pride for the Turkish people.

In addition, Turkish UAVs, which many countries such as Syria, Libya, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and African countries have started to use in conflicts and wars, have begun to be seen as the preferred aircraft of many countries. In UAV sales, Turkey does not only sell UAVs, it also makes it easy to sell air vehicles, sensors and ammunition as a package, and it also provides a wide range of services such as training-consultancy-logistics support, and ultimately, these products, which have proven their performance and effectiveness in the war environment, are offered to similar competitors. The fact that it can sell at very affordable prices compared to its products has caused an increase in the demand for Turkish UAVs and now around 30-35 countries use Turkish UAVs. Thus, Ankara; While exports of defense products increased by 22% last year thanks to UAV sales; It has managed to expand its geopolitical influence and increase its influence around the world through UAV sales. If Turkey can continue to successfully manage the UAV anchor, I believe that it can use the developing Turkish technological know-how in the UAV field, which is now certain to be the combat vehicles of the future, as an important tool of influence in its international relations, and in doing so, it can become a country that changes the face of war with the UAVs it produces.

Refereces

Ünver Kaynak, “Türk Havacılık Sanayii’nde Modern Döneme Geçişin Öncü Uçak Prototipleri (1)”, STRASAM, 15 Kasım 2021, https://strasam.org/savunma/havacilik-ve-uzay-sanayii/turk-havacilik-sanayiinde-modern-doneme-gecisin-oncu-ucak-prototipleri-1-297

Commentary, International Crisis Group, “Türkiye’s Growing Drone Exports”, 20 December 2023, https://www.crisisgroup.org/europe-central-asia/western-europemediterranean/turkiye/turkiyes-growing-drone-exports

Selma GÖKTÜRK ÇETİNKAYA, Murat KOÇ, “Türkiye’nin İnsansız Hava Araçları Serüveni”, Anadolu Strateji Dergisi, 20.02.2023, https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/3237670