Turkey strengthens its military-industrial complex

Baku/09.01.23/Turan: Turkey plans to minimize dependence on imports of weapons and develop its defense industry, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on January 9 at the ceremony of handing over to the Turkish Armed Forces  domestic self-propelled artillery installations  "Fırtına" ("Storm") of the new generations.

He also noted that mass production of Turkish tanks will begin in 2025. “In May this year, two Altay tanks will be handed over to the Turkish Armed Forces for testing. In addition, it is planned to modernize the Leopard 2 A-4 tanks, as well as start production of the Altuğ 8x8 armored personnel carrier, ”Anadolu Agency quotes Erdogan.

The Turkish leader noted that 20 years ago, Turkey's defense exports amounted to $248 million, and by the end of 2022, this figure reached $4.4 billion. Over 20 years, the number of defense enterprises in the country has increased from 56 to more than 2,000.

New developments will also affect the navy. This year, the flagship of the Turkish fleet, the Anadolu ship, on which drones are based, will be commissioned. In the same year, a fifth-generation domestic military aircraft will be launched, Erdogan said. ----02D----