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Türkiye, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Doha on Wednesday to boost cooperation in the defense industry, Türkiye’s Defense Industry Agency (SSB) stated Tuesday, turning existing bilateral projects into a multilateral framework.
The memorandum is set to cover defense industry cooperation, technology and knowledge transfer, training and research and development, aiming to strengthen the four countries’ national defense capabilities.
The four-nation deal builds on major Turkish projects with each partner, from corvettes for Pakistan to tanks for Indonesia, as Ankara shifts its defense diplomacy from selling platforms toward co-production and supply chain integration.
The memorandum to be signed in Doha "constitutes one of the concrete examples of the multilateral cooperation approach Türkiye has developed in the defense industry," the SSB said in a statement.
Areas of cooperation include joint R&D projects, co-production of certain components, training of technical personnel and sharing engineering experience, as well as adapting products to the parties’ needs and marketing them internationally.
Qatar’s armed forces operate Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones, armored vehicles and assault boats. Through BARQ, a joint venture between Aselsan and Qatar’s defense ministry-affiliated Barzan Holding, assembly, production and calibration of remote-controlled weapon systems (RCWS) and electro-optical devices have begun in Qatar.
With Pakistan, the PN MILGEM (Babur-class) corvette project, led by ASFAT, delivered four ships, the first two built in Istanbul and the other two at Karachi Shipyard, where production infrastructure was modernized and skills transferred to local workers.
With Indonesia, FNSS and PT Pindad jointly designed the Kaplan MT medium tank under a government-to-government deal, with production now continuing in Indonesia. Recent steps with Jakarta also include the sale of the KAAN fighter jet and the procurement and co-production of Atmaca anti-ship missiles.
Türkiye's defense and aerospace sector exported about $54 billion between 2012 and the first nine months of 2026, more than $30 billion of it in 2023-2026, according to the Defense and Aerospace Industry Exporters' Association.
Exports rose 48% in 2025 to more than $10 billion, and 12-month exports topped $11 billion for the first time, the SSB said.
Türkiye increased its arms exports by 122% over the past five years to become the world’s 11th-largest supplier, according to SIPRI data, with 56% of its defense and aerospace exports going to NATO allies, as the defense industry pact extends Ankara's reach.
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