This photo, (click to enlarge) taken on September 9, shows five warships across three distinct MILGEM variants in different stages of construction Number one may be a Turkish vessel, possibly an İ-Class frigate; identification is extremely difficult, as only the stern ramp for RHIB embarkation and disembarkation is visible. Number two is the first vessel... Continue Reading →
STM has released a video showing the launching of the third and final corvette for Royal Malaysian Navy, Tunku Osman Jewa. What I found mose intersting was the hull of the first National Fast Attack Craft (NFAC) prototype taking shape at İstanbul Denizcilik A.Ş. Shipyard — the first public look at the vessel's physical construction... Continue Reading →
Romania's Vice Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Radu-Dinel Miruță, visited Otokar's Mediaș production facility on 10 August, accompanied by the Chief of the General Staff, General Gheorghiță Vlad, and the head of the Defence Procurement Directorate, Major General Cornel Pleșa. It was the first senior Ministry of National Defence visit to the site... Continue Reading →
TCG Anadolu has arrived in Emden, Germany, to participate in Exercise Steadfast Dart 2026. Two recent photos from her arrival show how the ship has evolved over the past two years and three months. The first two photos were taken this week in Germany, while the last one dates from October 2023. As highlighted in... Continue Reading →
Türkiye has inducted its fourth T-70 utility helicopter into the Air Force Command in Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) configuration, bringing the total number of aircraft delivered under the Turkish Utility Helicopter Programme (TUHP) to 31 across the armed forces and security agencies. When Turkey launched its ambitious Turkish Utility Helicopter Programme (TUHP), the vision... Continue Reading →
This is my sixth and final instalment regarding IDEF 2025. I have been attending these defence exhibitions since 1987, when they were still called IDEA and organised in Etimesgut, Ankara. Much has changed since those days. With the benefit of hindsight, I can say that the Turkish defence industry has now reached a plateau. It... Continue Reading →
IDEF 2025 Series – Instalment 5. Independence in the defence industry is a long and winding road. It is not cheap. And on top of it all, you can lose it very quickly. I’m old enough to remember that the second project Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) undertook in the late 1980s was the licensed production... Continue Reading →
IDEF 2025 Series – Instalment 4 One of the lesser-highlighted contracts signed during IDEF 2025—but one I personally find significant—is the agreement to procure four large patrol vessels for the Turkish Coast Guard. While this contract may not have captured as much public attention as headline-grabbing deals like the export of the KAAN fighter jet... Continue Reading →
IDEF 2025 Series – Instalment 3 One of the more interesting announcements at IDEF 2025 wasn’t about a new missile or a shiny prototype—it was about branding. The transformation of the ULAQ unmanned surface vessel (USV) program into an independent company marks a notable, if somewhat predictable, shift in Turkey’s defense industry landscape. The ULAQ... Continue Reading →
Scoring at Sea: Koç Bilgi ve Savunma’s Underwater Precision Tech I must admit, I felt a twinge of nostalgia when I saw the Koç Bilgi ve Savunma booth at IDEF 2025. It’s been more than 15 years since I worked for the Koç Group, but the name still triggers memories—some fond, some mixed, as is... Continue Reading →
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