Turkish Drones as a Foreign Policy Tool

Turkey has rapidly become a global exporter of military drones, specifically the Bayraktar TB2 and Akıncı models, using this technology to enhance its soft power and establish new geopolitical alliances. This shift is part of a broader quest for 'strategic autonomy'—the ability to make defense decisions independently—driven by past arms sanctions from the US and technical failures with Israeli technology. While the drone sector has provided a significant economic boost, with defense and aerospace exports exceeding $4 billion in 2022, the brief highlights critical concerns regarding the lack of parliamentary oversight, centralized decision-making in the President's office, and alleged human rights violations by end-users in conflict zones like Ethiopia and Libya.

• Turkey has established itself as a major international exporter of military drone technology, which the government uses to gain soft power, form new partnerships, and enter new geopolitical arenas.
• The drive toward indigenous drone production is rooted in a quest for 'strategic autonomy,' motivated by 1974 US arms sanctions, operational failures with Israeli Heron-1 drones between 2004 and 2010, and the US's refusal to provide armed Predator drones in the mid-2010s.
• Turkish drones are highly competitive globally because they are significantly cheaper than US and Israeli alternatives and are subject to less stringent export controls.
• The drone industry provides a substantial economic stimulus; total business for Turkey's defense and aerospace manufacturers reached $10.1 billion in 2021, and annual exports in this sector exceeded $4 billion for the first time in 2022.
• Turkey's export control process lacks transparency and democratic oversight, as critical decisions are made by the President's office without parliamentary approval, and many clients remain undisclosed.
• There are serious allegations of human rights violations linked to Turkish drone exports, including civilian casualties in Ethiopia and the use of fully autonomous STM Kargu-2 drones in Libya in breach of a UN arms embargo.

APA

Martins, B. O., Tank, P., & İşleyen, B. (2023). Turkish Drones as a Foreign Policy Tool. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0204501c-9382-4a2d-a8d8-8b2b5e804167/Martins et al - Turkish Drones as a Foreign Policy Tool MidEast Policy Brief 1-2023.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Martins, Bruno Oliveira, Pinar Tank, and Beste İşleyen. Turkish Drones as a Foreign Policy Tool. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2023. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0204501c-9382-4a2d-a8d8-8b2b5e804167/Martins et al - Turkish Drones as a Foreign Policy Tool MidEast Policy Brief 1-2023.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Martins |first1=Bruno Oliveira |last2=Tank |first2=Pinar |last3=İşleyen |first3=Beste |title=Turkish Drones as a Foreign Policy Tool |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=January 2023 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0204501c-9382-4a2d-a8d8-8b2b5e804167/Martins et al - Turkish Drones as a Foreign Policy Tool MidEast Policy Brief 1-2023.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{martins2023turkish, author = {Martins, Bruno Oliveira and Tank, Pinar and İşleyen, Beste}, title = {{Turkish Drones as a Foreign Policy Tool}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/0204501c-9382-4a2d-a8d8-8b2b5e804167/Martins et al - Turkish Drones as a Foreign Policy Tool MidEast Policy Brief 1-2023.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }