A great number of military projects currently pursued by Turkey have the potential to drastically alter the military balance in the Aegean Sea to the point that Greece is unlikely to ever subside the difference in quality and quantity. This includes the Bayraktar Akinci and MIUS unmanned combat aircraft, the TF-2000 air-defence destroyers, an indigenous fleet of armed unmanned surface vessels (AUSVs), six Type-214TN Reis class submarines with air-independent propulsion and the prospective introduction of small attack submarines. All of these weapon systems are to strengthen Turkey's fleet of some 200 armed drones already conducting regular patrols over the Aegean.

 

The success of Chinese-made unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) once seemed unstoppable, with countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa acquiring ever larger numbers of Wing Loong and CH-series of UCAVs. This impressive sales record seems to have had little to do with an apparent preference for Chinese UCAVs however. Rather, the UCAV market featured very little competition during the first half of the last decade, particularly if the country looking to acquire UCAVs didn't have the luxury of being able to purchase arms from the United States.

 

Although many military analysts are well aware of Turkey's rise to a drone power, meanwhile also including the first production multi-role unmanned combat aircraft in the world, not nearly enough know about Turkey's strives in the design of unmanned surface vessels (USVs). [1] The year 2021 witnessed the unveiling of three armed unmanned surface vessel (AUSV) types, the ULAQ-series by ARES, the NB57/RD09 by Sefine and the USV 11/15 by Dearsan. Thanks to these designs, its UCAVs and a great number of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), Turkey is well on its way to becoming the market leader in unmanned weapon systems.

During the 2021 edition of Teknofest in Istanbul it was announced that Turkey intends to organise its Teknofest technology festival in other countries as well. [1] Several nations come to mind that maintain a strong relationship with Turkey and are a recipient of Turkish arms and technology, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). One such country is Azerbaijan, which has made significant investments in the acquisition and production of various types of unmanned weapon systems and is currently looking to expand on its domestic technology base.