Where are the Turkish army getting weapons?
He has traditionally bought weapons for his army from the US and European countries, but in recent times he has bought missile defense systems from Russia.
So, after the attack on North Syria, which countries stopped selling arms to Turkey and now from which countries it is buying weapons for its army?
What Turkey to give weapons – agreed to which countries?
Nine countries of Europe have decided not to give weapons to Turkey.
These include the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Along with this, Canada has also announced that they are either partially or completely prohibiting the license to sell arms to Turkey.
British Foreign Minister Dominic Robb said that Britain would continue to sell weapons to Turkey for the time being, but would not issue export licenses for weapons that could be used by Turkish forces in Syria.
Germany and Spain said that they have imposed restrictions only on new contracts.
Officially, the European Union has not supported a ban on selling arms to Turkey throughout Europe. However, “a strong export policy for selling arms to Turkey” has been adopted.
“Not selling arms will not have a significant impact on Turkey’s operations in northern Syria,” says defense analyst Yevni Stefania Efatathiyu.
But she says that if this ban extends beyond the weapons used in Syria, then Turkey’s defense industry could be severely affected. “
Turkey military spending
2008 – 2018
Where has Turkey been getting weapons so far?
Turkey has been ranked fifth in the world during the period 1991 to 2017 in terms of the procurement of important weapons in terms of military operation.
Historically, Turkey has depended on Neto’s allies America and Europe for its defense and security needs.
America is the largest exporter of arms to Turkey. Between 2014 and 2018, Turkey has bought 60 percent of its weapons from the United States.
Among the European countries, France, Spain, and Britain have been at the forefront of arms sales to Turkey.
During the military-dominated Turkish governments in the 1980s and 90s, arms purchases from the US reached record highs.
Fighter jets, missiles, helicopters, tanks, ships, and other weapons were purchased from America, which is still used by the Turkish army.
But in recent days, Turkey has turned its mind towards Russia and bought a defense system worth the US $ 2.5 billion from there. It was this decision that made Neto’s colleagues worried.
Defense analyst Yvani argued that acquiring the S-400 system from an opponent of Neto could greatly weaken Turkey’s security as the Turkish military force is armed with NATO weapons and border air defense systems.
In response, the US decided not to sell its F-35 warfare aircraft to Turkey, which is currently one of the world’s latest fighter jet fighter planes.
Because of its geographical location, Turkey has many bases in the USA and Neto. These include the Early Warning Missile Defense Radar in eastern Turkey and the command operation of NATO.
Here America has also kept close to 50 of its atomic bombs in Incirlik airbase near Adana, South Turkey.
Turkey’s own arms industry
Turkey has developed its large-scale domestic arms industry with the aim of reducing dependence on arms purchases from abroad over the past decade.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Chavusholu recently said that Turkey now produces more than ‘70% of its military equipment itself and is also an important exporter of weapons.
“It is not easy to estimate precisely how much Turkey is producing for its military needs,” says defense analyst Yevni Stefania Efatathiyu.
“Yet what Turkey commonly calls the indigenous system is, in fact, based on licenses being made in the country under license or imported components,” she says.
Turkey’s arms exports
(2007 – 2017)
Between 2014 and 2018, arms exports from Turkey increased by 170%.
It was the world’s 14th largest arms exporter in 2018, with Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkmenistan selling their weapons.