Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia sign defence cooperation accord

Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan, and Indonesia signed an agreement on Wednesday aimed at boosting defence cooperation and strengthening defensive capabilities, the Turkish Defence Ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry said the accord signed in Doha would also support military exercises and training, cooperation on research and development, and contribute to joint efforts to improve the countries' respective defence industries.

Efforts under the deal focus on moving beyond the supply of military platforms to joint production, technology transfer, interoperability, and the integration of supply chains, said, Turkey's Defense Industries Secretariat (SSB).

Joint production and technology transfer with Qatar

Qatar, one of the parties to the planned memorandum, has a longstanding defense industry partnership with Turkey.

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Bayraktar TB2 armed drones, armoured vehicles, and fast attack craft supplied to the Qatari Armed Forces are among the prominent examples of bilateral cooperation, the Anadolu Agency reported.

Barzan Holdings, a subsidiary of Qatar's Defense Ministry, has also signed cooperation agreements in previous years with Turkish defense companies including Aselsan, STM, and MKE.

BARQ, a joint venture established in Qatar by Aselsan and Barzan Holdings, has begun local assembly, production, and calibration activities for SARP remote-controlled weapon systems and electro-optical equipment.

Projects carried out by Turkish companies in Qatar also enable the provision of defense industry solutions to third countries.

Corvette partnership with Pakistan

The PN MILGEM Babur-class corvette project is a leading example of defense industry cooperation between Turkey and Pakistan, the Anadolu Agency reported.

Under the four-corvette project, led by main contractor Asfat, the first two vessels were built in Istanbul and the other two at Karachi Shipyard in Pakistan.

The project modernized Karachi Shipyard's production infrastructure and transferred shipbuilding and outfitting engineering capabilities to the local workforce. It thus contributed to Pakistan's domestic production capacity alongside the supply of naval platforms.

Tank production with Indonesia

The KAPLAN MT medium-weight tank development project is a prominent example of Turkey’s defense industry cooperation with Indonesia, reports the Anadolu Agency.

Launched under an intergovernmental agreement between the secretariat and Indonesia's Defense Ministry, the KAPLAN MT was jointly designed and developed by Turkish defense company FNSS and Indonesia's PT Pindad.

Prototypes and the first series-production tanks manufactured by FNSS were delivered to Indonesian users. Production is continuing at PT Pindad in Indonesia under a technology transfer arrangement.