Many people look to military power lists to determine how strong a nation’s military is. These rankings place nations according to their personnel numbers, stockpile of weapons and equipment, and spending on defence. It’s understandable why these lists are so well-liked. They offer a quick, quantitative method of contrasting the military prowess of various nations. These lists, however helpful they may seem, do not account for all of the subtleties and intricacies of military might. We will examine the shortcomings of gauging military power only through numerical data and why depending on military power lists can be deceptive and ultimately pointless. …
Author: Ulus Göktürk
Two years ago, Turkiye’s defence industry garnered worldwide recognition for the performance of its weapon systems in Syria, Libya and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Now, Turkiye is attempting to leap into the big league with four simultaneous fixed-wing jet-powered aircraft programs. Under the leadership of Ataturk, Turkiye began manufacturing aircraft in the 1920s. By the 1940s, Turkiye had a flourishing array of indigenous aircraft designs. Unfortunately, the arrival of the 1950s spelled the end of the Turkish aviation industry. The Marshall Plan and the admission into NATO caused irreparable harm to the progression of local aircraft programs and the Turkish defence…
Tensions are higher than ever in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. As a result, coastal defences can no longer be overlooked. In a recent interview on CNN Turk, Roketsan CEO Murat Ikinci stated, “Atmaca and Cakir cruise missiles will be used together in coastal defence”. Indicating that truck-based Atmaca and Cakir cruise missiles will enter the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces. With the introduction of both missiles, Turkey will have one of the world’s most formidable coastal defence networks. Though the two missiles are similar, there are some interesting differences. The Atmaca is a long-range (220+ km) anti-ship cruise…
Just under two weeks ago Optus, Australia’s second-largest telecommunications company suffered its largest hack ever. Since then, the company has been slammed by both the Australian government and customers exposed to the cyberattack. With almost 10 million customer accounts exposed to the attack, Optus is potentially facing a mass exodus. Today Optus revealed that over 2 million ID numbers have been stolen, including 150,000 passport numbers. The amount of documents leaked is expected to rise as internal investigations continue. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) launched Operation Hurricane shortly after the cyberattack. Working in conjunction with the FBI and other foreign…
Turkmenistan has remained largely neutral since its establishment in 1991. However, recent turbulence on the geopolitical stage has forced it to step up and become proactive. Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Turkic nations of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have been stuck in an awkward position. Though Azerbaijan quickly built strong ties with nearby Turkey, the rest of the Turkic states had a more difficult road ahead. Situated east of the Caspian Sea, the landlocked Turkic States of Central Asia are trapped between Russia, China, Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Though in a highly strategic position…
In light of Armenia’s recent clashes with its neighbour Azerbaijan, India has inked a sizable export order for missiles, rockets, and ammunition. Earlier this month, a number of contracts for the delivery of weapons and ammunition to Armenia were signed. The Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, which are already in use by the Indian Army, will be exported for the first time with this purchase. The deal will also include anti-tank guided missiles and radars. Though further details are currently unavailable. In early 2020 Armenia purchased Swathi counter-battery radars from India. It is unknown if these radars were used in the…
The Turkish defence industry has been a major success story. Product quality rivals that of western counterparts while being produced for much cheaper. The range of solutions provided by the Turkish defence industry is impressive, to say the least. However, there is one major problem. Engines… More specifically, the lack of them. The ambitions of Turkey’s defence industry have been dashed because of engines. For instance, the Altay tank was supposed to be in service years ago. But due to an embargo by Germany, MTU was banned from selling its 1,500 horsepower engines to Turkey. With no other options, the…