Category: 2021

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday called on Turkic Council members to act together in tackling global issues including terrorism, climate change, xenophobia and Islamophobia.

The 8th Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) was held on an island southeast of Istanbul. The meeting held under the theme “Green Technologies and Smart Cities in the Digital Age” was hosted by President Erdoğan.

During the meeting, the organization’s name has been changed to the Organization of Turkic States.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the summit held on Democracy and Freedom Island in the Marmara Sea. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also participated as an observer. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov also attended on behalf of Turkmenistan, which participated in the summit for the first time as an observer member.

In his opening speech, Erdoğan said: “We are determined to continue our fight against all forms of terrorism. We must increase our cooperation in this regard,” mentioning the PKK terrorist organization’s Syrian affiliate known as the YPG, Daesh and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).

He also underlined the importance of carrying out joint projects for green development. On natural disasters, he proposed the establishment of the “Organization of Turkish States Civil Protection Mechanism” for the members to coordinate efforts.

Regarding climate change, Erdoğan underlined that Turkey will exert great efforts to develop multilateral cooperation on this global issue during its term in the presidency of the organization.

“We must act together in the fight against destructive currents such as Islamophobia and xenophobia, which are the plague of our time,” he also added.

Erdoğan, meanwhile said some 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccines were donated to African countries by Organization of Turkic States, with 2 million of them donated by Turkey only.

Turkey hopes to see the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) among the members of the Turkic Council, the Turkish president also said.

“I trust in your valuable support in easing the isolation and embargo against Turkish Cypriots, who are an inseparable part of the Turkic World,” he told the council members.

Speaking after the Turkish president, Aliyev said that Erdoğan showed Baku that it is not alone in the world and that Ankara will always stand by it, referring to last year’s Karabakh conflict in which Turkey threw its support behind Azerbaijan, whose Nagorno-Karabakh region had remained under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades before finally being liberated last November.

During a 44-day conflict last year, which ended in a truce on Nov. 10, 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages in Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia’s illegal occupation. On Nov. 10, the two countries signed a Russia-brokered deal to end fighting and work toward a comprehensive solution.

Erdoğan has frequently called for a six-nation platform comprising of Turkey, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia for permanent peace, stability and cooperation in the region, saying it would be a win-win initiative for all regional actors in the Caucasus. Turkey believes that permanent peace is possible through mutual security-based cooperation among the states and people of the South Caucasus region.

“Today we have a common vision among the countries of the Turkic world. This common vision needs to be built on a solid foundation,” Aliyev added.

Important decisions on the functioning and future of the organization, including the changing of its name to the Organization of the Turkic States and the adoption of a “Vision Document” for the next two decades, are expected to be made at the summit.

Ways to further develop cooperation among the friendly countries in every field will also be discussed at the summit, during which Turkey will assume the presidency of the organization from Azerbaijan.

Erdoğan will also hold bilateral talks with his counterparts on the sidelines of the summit.

The Turkic Council was formed in 2009 to promote cooperation among Turkic-speaking states. It consists of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan as member countries and Hungary as an observer state.

Earlier in the day before the summit began, Erdoğan alongside the leaders of the Turkic Council member countries and Turkic Council Secretary General Baghdad Amreyev, officially opened the council’s general secretariat building in the Sultanahmet neighborhood of Istanbul’s Fatih district.

Turkish defense firm Asisguard has equipped its new mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with 40-milimeter (1.6-inch) grenade thrower.

After attaching a 5.56-milimeter gun, the firm took the drone, called Songar, a step further, Barış Düzgün, the firm’s general manager told Anadolu Agency (AA) during the SAHA Expo, a major defense event in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul.

After opening its doors on Wednesday, the four-day event is showcasing Turkey’s defense products including UAVs, weapons, radar systems, and land and naval vehicles.

There are also panels on various topics such as the space program, defense industry cooperation and engine development.

Düzgün said his firm aims to provide a single type of drone with various payloads instead of designing different drone types.

For next steps, he said the firm plan to equip the drone with smoke bombs so it can help stop riots.

Work to equip the drone with a high-power laser system is ongoing, and during the expo a protocol will be signed by Asisguard, Turkish defense firm Havelsan, and the Informatics and Information Security Research Center of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK BILGEM), he said.

In addition, work on a missile option is proceeding rapidly, he added.

“R&D is like planting seeds, you have to continue for a long time,” he stressed.

On exports, he said the drone has been exported to two countries so far and that talks with three countries have come to the signing phase.

He stressed that the firm first tries new payloads in Turkey, and then offers them to other countries.

In recent years, Turkey has become a rising star in the global defense and aviation industry.

Especially in aviation and UAVs, Turkey has several companies and brands such as Baykar and TAI which produce aerial vehicles using mostly local resources.

Akamikaze unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that will be used to counter and neutralize other drone-borne threats successfully conducted its maiden flight and will be ready for delivery at the beginning of 2022, according to company officials.

The product, named the Fedai, was created in cooperation with Turkish defense industry companies. Various versions of the Fedai capable of launching from single and multiple launch systems were created and exhibited at the SAHA EXPO Defense and Aviation Hybrid Fair organized by SAHA Istanbul.

The UAV is part of a wide range of drone detection and destruction systems developed by Havelsan and Transvaro.

Güray Ali Canlı, executive committee member of Transvaro told Anadolu Agency (AA) that after the successful first flight, they started receiving interest from all over the world.

“We started to produce the Fedai from carbon. The first 10 vehicles are out of mass production. There is more demand for the multi-launch version that is installed on the vehicle. We have prepared this model. We offer to the world market a concept in the form of a truck with three launch systems, one command control, one radar, jammer and thermal camera systems in a team of five vehicles,” he explained.

Canlı said that in line with demand for the product from a Southeast Asian country, they have started working on a model that can reach an altitude of up to 5,000 meters (16,404 feet).

“We called it the Fedai 102,” the company official said, noting that tests are ongoing.

“We bring innovations in every flight,” he said noting that it is equipped with a thermal camera, day camera and LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), making it “the first and only such product in the world with this feature.” He added that the special wing folding system has been patented.

Canlı said that it is also unique with its radar, camera control and LIDAR scanner system.

Currently, the UAV is expelled from the launch tube but the company has started working on a model that can be fired from the shoulder.

“We are making these preparations for aircraft that fly short distances without the need for radar. Our research and development (R&D) studies continue at full speed. We are improving the Fedai every day,” Canlı said.

Stating that the first versions of the product will be ready for delivery as of January or February 2022, Canlı said that the Fedai on its own is not enough and that customers should consider the whole system, DROKA, also known as the drone killer.

“There are a number of systems within in this, from thermal camera to radar, from jammer to other units.”

The global shortage of integrated circuits and electronic components used in radars has driven up the prices of germaniım used in thermal cameras by up to 50%, and Canlı said the company has thus established a separate radar factory in central Yozgat province just to produce the Fedai.

The factory will open early in the new year.

Describing the differences between Fedai 101 and Fedai 102, Canlı said, “customers want to use Fadai as a low-altitude air defense system not only to shoot down UAVs and drones, but also to shoot down low-flying helicopters and propeller planes.”

“That’s why the request for 5,000 meters was made. It’s a bit taller, with its battery and engine are bigger as well. We’ve also made the warhead a little bit bigger as well. Its diameter is the same, the wing lengths are different. We’ve extended our launchers. The same launcher can fire Fedai 101 and Fedai 102 but the second one has more speed and airtime, and more powerful batteries,” he said.

Turkey’s drone magnate Baykar has signed a contract with the Ivchenko-Progress, one of the leading engine companies in Ukraine for the procurement of engines for its Combat Unmanned Aircraft System (MIUS) project, according to a company statement Friday.

The deal was signed between the parties at the SAHA EXPO Defense and Aviation Hybrid Fair organized by SAHA Istanbul.

Ivchenko-Progress will supply the AI-322F Turbofan engine for MIUS under the agreement.

MUIS will be jet-powered, with a payload of up to 1.5 tons. The autonomously maneuvering craft will be capable of operating in tandem with piloted aircraft and may carry air-to-air missiles.

Haluk Bayraktar, CEO at Baykar, said that Ukraine and Turkey are two strategic partners, noting that his company’s Akıncı Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was already powered by the AI-450 engine of Ivchenko Progress.

“With the new contract, we will install the AI-322F engine, produced jointly by Ivchenko Progress and Motor Sich, in our unmanned fighter aircraft. I hope that this deal will further the strategic cooperation between the two countries.”

Baykar also said MS500 Turboprop Engine Technical Specification Agreement for Bayraktar Akıncı with the Motor Sich, another Ukrainian engine-making giant was also signed at the fair.

Bayraktar said that they created an alternative for Akıncı with the MS500 engine and that the engine would be integrated into the vehicle. Stating that the MS500 is a technologically advanced engine like the AI-450, Bayraktar said that this engine will fly Akıncı next year.

Motor Sich JSC Marketing and Sales Manager Pavlo Kasai, for his part, said that with each agreement, the security and strength of the two countries increased as well as their cooperation.

According to Ukrainian sources, the country will supply an AI-450 Turboprop engine for Akıncı UAV and AI-25TLT Turbofan engine for MIUS from 2021 to 2030. In the 10-year period, Ukraine is expected to export more than 500 engines to Baykar with a total value of more than $600 million.

The MIUS is expected to make its maiden flight before 2023.

The Turkish defense industry continues to work on domestic engine and transmission technology for land and air vehicles, with the country preparing a road map that will take it toward this ultimate goal.

Sources told Anadolu Agency (AA) that as part of the road map, numerous projects are being conducted to end the foreign dependence for the parts that the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) needs for Turkey’s homegrown vehicles.

The plan consists of two types of engine projects – internal combustion and turbine.

Among internal combustion engines, there are several types, from 170-horsepower drone engines to 1,500-horsepower engines for tanks.

Currently, engine research for the armored vehicles Kirpi 2 and Pars is ongoing, with development tests having been completed.

Work on the engine and transmission of the Firtina howitzer and next-generation light armored vehicles also continues.

Regarding turbine engines, defense industry teams are working on many projects for turbojets, the combat aircraft Turkish Fighter X and various missiles.

The KTJ-3200 engine’s development tests are complete, with the engine to be used in Atmaca and SOM missiles.

Progress is also being made on the Gökbey helicopter and Turkish Fighter X’s engines.

Turkey’s defense industry has initiated pivotal projects in recent years under the leadership of the Presidency of Defenses Industries (SSB), covering huge ground on its mission to cut the country’s dependency on others and become a major competitor among the world’s largest arms exporters.

SSB head Ismail Demir, speaking on the 36th anniversary of the SSB’s establishment, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the institution became an official state body during the Republican era after the country faced many internal and external obstacles.

In 1985, when Turgut Özal was prime minister, the Defense Industry Development and Support Administration (SAGEB) was established to develop the domestic defense industry and modernize the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). The institution, which later changed its structure and became the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, focused on international joint programs with domestic production and offset projects until the 2000s.

The Defense Industry Executive Committee meeting held in May 2004, when now-President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was prime minister, was a turning point for the implementation of domestic and national projects, Demir said, noting that the restructuring into the Presidency of Defense Industries marked the beginning of a new era for the sector and the institution.

He said that external pressures and arms embargoes particularly increased after Turkey’s 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation and once again revealed the need for a self-sufficient defense industry.

The pioneering companies and products that have been established and produced are the result of this process, he explained.

Embargoes, something the country now faces, are nothing new for Ankara and have never stood in the way of it developing its defense industry; on the contrary, they fuel the process. Turkey had an arms embargo imposed on it by its NATO ally, the U.S., during its 1974 operation in Cyprus to save Turkish Cypriots from Greek Cypriot militias’ attempts at genocide.

During the embargo, from February 1975 to September 1978, Turkey was unable to receive the jets it paid for and could not retrieve its planes that were under maintenance, even spare parts for the platforms provided by allies were not delivered. This embargo cost Turkey billions of dollars and, in order to avoid experiencing a similar situation again, the country mobilized its industrial capabilities to bolster its defense industry.

Demir stated that the Turkish defense industry continues to work in the fields of land, air, sea, space and cyberspace for the security of the country, emphasizing that the industry’s wealth of knowledge and experience in cutting edge technology helps make important contributions to studies in civilian areas including health, energy and transportation.

Noting that the defense industry has reached a certain level when it comes to the design, development and production of platform and weapon systems after experiencing a breakthrough in recent years, Demir said: “We are one of the leading countries in the world in some areas, and we develop competitive products in others.

“However, we always say; our goal is full independence in the defense industry. In other words, we need to own whatever technology is critical and strategic,” the defense official said.

Demir stressed that Turkey did not have an air defense system to speak of until just five years ago, and now “today we put our Korkut, Sungur, Hisar A+, Hisar O+ systems into service.”

“We produced MILGEMs (National Ship), amphibious ships, seismic research ships, ships and boats of various levels with domestic and national resources,” he listed, also noting the Atak-2 helicopters that recently joined the Turkish security forces’ inventory.

“We have advanced a new era in missile technology with our high-precision TRLG missile with a 150-kilometer (93-mile) range, our first naval cruise missile with a 200-kilometer range, Atmaca, and our 280-kilometer-range land-to-land missile Bora.”

In addition to the MAM-C and MAM-L smart munitions, Demir said the country has made its domestic unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) more effective with the addition of new munitions such as Teber, MAM-T, KGK, HGK and LGK.

“We have made significant progress not only in drone systems but also in anti-drone technology. We provided practical solutions to our soldiers in the field with portable munition systems, ergonomic grenade equipment, foldable mine detectors, and effective mixer-blunting systems against improvised explosive devices (IEDs).”

Turkey carried out 62 defense projects in 2002, Demir said, highlighting that Turkish defense companies today are currently working on approximately 750 projects.

Noting that they started about half of these projects within the last five years, Demir said that they increased the project volume from $5.5 billion (TL 53.3 billion) to over $60 billion.