This week I took a look at the defence and aviation agenda, and it’s truly packed! You know how sometimes, apart from one or two headlines, there isn’t much to talk about? Well, this week is the exact opposite. One development after another shows us this: Turkey is shifting up a gear in defence.
News from Konya: War Rehearsal Goes Digital
A new centre has opened in Konya: the Martyr Air Defence First Lieutenant Emre Kargın Training and Simulation Centre. Its name is a bit long, but its mission is clear and simple: soldiers will now rehearse warfare in a digital environment.
Think about it… No live ammunition spent, no millions wasted, and the toughest scenarios can be repeated endlessly. Today a swarm drone attack, tomorrow a cruise missile threat… Situations that might happen once in a decade in real life can now be practised weekly.
Let me ask you: how vulnerable to surprise would an army with this level of preparation be?
Radar Umbrella: The Sky Now More Visible
Don’t underestimate Aselsan’s newly delivered ALP-100G and ALP-300G radars. These are no ordinary radars.
The ALP-100G is extremely sensitive to low-flying threats – for example, kamikaze drones. The ALP-300G, on the other hand, works like “an eye piercing through the horizon” at long range.
And when these radars are integrated with Hisar and Siper missiles, what emerges is almost a “home-grown Patriot system.” In other words, the era of “looking at the sky through others’ eyes” is over.
MKE’s Poland Move: Not Just Sales, but Partnership
Now to what I see as the week’s most critical news… MKE is very close to establishing a howitzer ammunition production line in Poland.
This isn’t just about making sales. Imagine this: in a NATO-member European country, a production line is being set up with Turkish engineering. What does this mean? In short, Turkey becomes a co-producer.
After the Ukraine war, Europe entered an ammunition crisis. Stocks depleted, production capacity insufficient. That’s where Turkey stepped in. I believe this move will make the “Made in Türkiye” stamp much more visible in European armies.
The UAV Front: Land, Air, Sea
Now hold tight – there’s plenty of action on the UAV front too.
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Land: TUSAŞ’s kamikaze UAV Şimşek K has passed ground tests with rocket-assisted launch.
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Air: Bayraktar Kızılelma, the jet-powered unmanned fighter, has successfully completed another test.
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Sea: The MARLİN USV has been armed with the Çakır missile, and the first contract has been signed for a VTOL UAV platform.
In short: land, air, sea – unmanned systems everywhere! Step by step, we see Turkey building a three-dimensional “unmanned network.”
Now let me ask you: if unmanned systems are set to play such a defining role in the future of warfare, where does Turkey stand?
We are digitalising training.
We are monitoring the skies with our own radars.
We are moving into a new era of joint production in exports.
And we are expanding our unmanned systems across land, air, and sea.
Imagine a country… one that not only ensures its own security but also offers a vision of security to its partners. That’s where Turkey is heading. Which brings us back to the headline: Turkey is shifting gears in national defence. And this time, behind the wheel are our own engineers, our own vision.
The Story of 2030
Looking towards 2030, Turkey’s vision is clear:
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A country protecting its own skies,
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Building a three-dimensional unmanned systems network,
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Establishing itself as a co-producer in the world,
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Equipping its military with digital capabilities.
And perhaps most importantly: this vision is a story of independence. Because by 2030, Turkey will not be “using someone else’s security umbrella,” but rather opening its own – and sharing it with those who need it.
