Recently, Türkiye announced the overseas arms sales of the previous year and the target plan of the new year, as well as the construction, production and installation of a number of military products. The commentary said that in recent years, Türkiye has continued to promote the localization of weapons and equipment, accelerated the promotion of foreign arms sales, and made the military industry an important pillar industry. According to the data released by Türkiye's National Defense Industry Bureau, in 2024, the country's arms exports will reach 7.154 billion US dollars, an increase of 29% over the previous year, setting the highest sales record over the years. Türkiye ranks 11th in the global arms export rankings. Four military enterprises, including Türkiye Aerospace Industry Corporation and Aselsan Corporation, are among the top 100 military enterprises in the world, and are regarded as military industry groups with great competitive potential in the European military sales market in the next five to ten years. Taking Asselsan as an example, its ASELFIR-500 electronic optical reconnaissance system has been exported to 16 countries. Türkiye's military products are mainly for European and Central Asian countries. Poland and Azerbaijan are major customers for armored vehicles, TB-2 drones, and armed helicopters. Portugal has ordered island class light frigates and multiple patrol boats. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries are new buyers of Türkiye's military products. According to reports, Saudi Arabia plans to purchase 100 new generation Khan fighter jets. Türkiye not only sells finished equipment such as UAVs to these countries, but also provides technical services. If the TB-2 drone sold to the United Arab Emirates is equipped with customized ammunition, Qatar has obtained some technical information on coastal patrol boats. On this basis, the Ministry of Defence of Türkiye has drawn up a new annual arms sales target, namely, the export volume will exceed 8 billion US dollars, and exceed 10 billion US dollars within two years, and the target of 11 billion US dollars will be achieved by 2028. The revenue of the entire defense industry chain has increased from 12.2 billion US dollars in 2024 to 26 billion US dollars in 2028, becoming an important pillar industry in the country. With the increase of foreign military sales year by year, Türkiye announced that it would spend about 10% of its 2025 defense budget on the research and development of weapons and equipment such as fighter planes and frigates. In August this year, Türkiye's army will receive the first three "Altay" T1 main battle tanks, and 11, 41 and 30 in the next three years. The spokesman of Türkiye National Defense Industry Commission said that the "Altai" T1 main battle tank entered the army sequence, marking the start of transformation and iteration of Türkiye's land war equipment, and also means that new products have been added to overseas arms sales. According to foreign media analysis, the "Altay" series of main battle tanks will be the strongest competitor of the German "Panther" tank in Europe, with obvious technological and price advantages. The testing of two new generation fighters in Türkiye, the Khan fighter and the T-625 helicopter, will be basically completed within the year. The former is the representative of a new generation of fighters, and Türkiye will receive 6 prototypes this year; The latter, known as Türkiye's version of "Black Hawk" helicopter, will be equipped with Türkiye's domestic engine in the first half of the year. Türkiye hopes that these two aircraft will win more orders in various air shows this year. In January this year, two Istanbul class frigates from Türkiye were launched simultaneously at Anadolu Shipyard and Seidev Shipyard in Türkiye. Türkiye National Defense Technology Engineering Company said that as an upgraded version of island frigates, this class of frigates will open the international market this year by referring to the marketing model of the latter. At present, Middle Eastern customers have ordered this class of frigates. In addition, Turkish military officials also revealed that they will increase their efforts to export satellite and other space-based equipment systems to compete for military sales orders in the space field, including multi band communication systems and optoelectronic reconnaissance components for onboard satellites. As for the prospect of Türkiye's foreign arms sales, some military experts pointed out that Türkiye's military production capacity is difficult to support the huge arms sales plan. In the next three years, Türkiye's military will be in the equipment iteration period. Taking the Istanbul class frigate as an example, Türkiye's navy orders will not be delivered until 2027, and the export version will have to wait a longer time. Türkiye's foreign arms sales also provide conditions for its "arms diplomacy". Türkiye's Defense Minister Guilair said that Türkiye's gradual increase in foreign arms sales is a reflection of its growing influence inside and outside the region. In Eastern Europe, Türkiye has become a stakeholder in regional affairs by exporting weapons and equipment that "meet NATO standards" to Poland and other countries. At the same time, against the backdrop of growing animosity between the United States and Europe and increasing calls for European defense autonomy, we are participating in the process of reshaping the European landscape. In the direction of Central Asia, Türkiye has expanded its influence in hot spots by selling military products such as TB-2 UAVs. However, some Turkish military personnel are worried that the overseas arms sales stall is too large, which may touch the interests of the United States, Britain and other countries. There may be renewed discord between Türkiye and the United States, as well as between Turkey, Germany and France and other European countries. (New Society)