Turkey Is Modernizing Its Military to Send Message to the Rest of NATO
- Turkey has been investing its defense industry and expanding domestic production of military gear.
- Ankara wants to bolster its military and counter sanctions imposed by traditional defense partners.
- Disputes with friends and rivals have led Turkey to seek to “not be so dependent on outsiders,” one expert said.
In June, the Turkish navy successfully test fired the Atmaca, Turkey’s first domestically produced long-range anti-ship cruise missile.
The missile was fired from the TCG Kınalıada, one of the newest Ada-class corvettes, which are also domestically designed and built. In its final test, the missile sank an old research vessel, and it is now set to replace the US-made Harpoon as the Turkish Navy’s standard anti-ship missile.
It is the most recent in an impressive string of achievements for Turkey’s defense industry, which has historically relied on US and European companies to outfit its military.
In recent years,
