Latest news with #BayraktarAkinci
Morocco World
5 days ago
- Business
- Morocco World
Report: Morocco Eyes Defense Autonomy Through Local Production
Rabat – A new report by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and Morocco's Global Governance & Sovereignty Foundation provides a detailed look at Morocco's evolving military strategy. Faced with mounting regional pressure, Morocco has turned its focus to advanced air systems and the long-term goal of building a sovereign defense industry. The report names Algeria as Morocco's chief rival, as it ranks among the world's top three military spenders in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). As a counter, Morocco has pursued a high-tech, targeted approach, favoring drones, helicopters, artillery, and missile defense systems over sheer volume. Drones, rapid surveillance In recent years, the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) have stepped up efforts to strengthen aerial surveillance and quick-response capabilities. In 2021, Morocco purchased 13 Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey for around $70 million, later adding six more units. These unmanned aircraft have since played a key role in tracking separatist activity in the south and patrolling remote border areas. In 2023, Rabat finalized an agreement for the more advanced Bayraktar Akinci drones. Though the number of units remains undisclosed, the report confirms the first deliveries have already taken place. The move is part of Morocco's shift toward air-centric gear that matches the terrain and the nature of the threats it faces, ranging from cross-border infiltration to external backing of separatist groups. Laying the groundwork for local defense production The report also cites Morocco's bid to stem its reliance on foreign suppliers. In early 2025, Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar announced plans to open a production and maintenance plant in Morocco. This came just months after Morocco signed a deal with India's Tata Advanced Systems to locally produce WhAP 8×8 armored vehicles. Imports from countries like the US, Israel, Turkey, China, and France feed into a strategy of supplier diversification, which the report calls essential to avoid overdependence and navigate shifts in international alliances. However, Morocco still faces hurdles in establishing an autonomous defense industry. The report points to gaps in advanced manufacturing, engineering skills, and local component production. It urges investment in training programs, industrial hubs, and a long-term vision for defense autonomy. Naval power, cyber defense lag behind Maritime security also figures into Morocco's broader strategic ambitions, especially given its role in monitoring the Strait of Gibraltar. The report calls for future expenditure in modern frigates and a clear national maritime strategy. Some steps have already been set in motion. The expansion of the Tangier-Med port, a maritime surveillance center launched in 2011, and the naval base at Ksar Sghir show Morocco's growing naval ambition. A new patrol vessel, built by Spanish company Navantia, is expected to join the Royal Navy in the coming months. At the same time, cyber defense continues to be a weak link. The report cautions that Morocco is still unprepared to counter cyber threats and calls for the creation of a dedicated cybercommand. With the country's tech sector expanding, the report sees room to train experts in cyber operations and build capacity for hybrid warfare. According to the report, alliances with partners such as NATO could help speed up this process and strengthen Morocco's defenses against misinformation campaigns and infrastructure attacks. Morocco cut its military spending by 26% in 2024, according to a recent report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Despite the drop, Morocco continues to rely heavily on the US for its defense needs, with American suppliers making up 64% of total arms imports. Across the region, Algeria also scaled back its purchases by a stark 73%, but its overall imports still outpaced Morocco's. Tags: military defenseMoroccoMorocco military
Forbes
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Turkey's Best Drones Are Being Shot Down Over Middle East And Africa
A Turkish Bayraktar Akinci drone landing at Gecitkale Air Base in Lefkoniko, Turkish Republic of ... More Northern Cyprus, on July 17, 2024. (Photo by Baykar/Anadolu via Getty Images) March 2025 is undoubtedly the worst month to date for Turkey's indigenous Bayraktar Akinci drone, with at least two going down in Africa and the Middle East within a mere two weeks under different circumstances. Overnight, on March 31 and April 1, a drone fell out of the sky over the rural Tinzaouaten commune in northeast Mali, an area where the Malian military is fighting armed groups on the country's border with Algeria. Fighters from the Azawad Liberation Front rushed to the crash site and photographed the wreckage extensively. Algeria claimed it shot down an 'armed surveillance drone' that had violated its airspace near Tinzaouaten. Mali merely confirmed that one of its drones crashed in the area while on a surveillance mission, adding that it was investigating the incident. Regardless of whether it was shot down or crashed due to a malfunction, the incident is embarrassing for Bamako, given that it has received only two Akinci drones from Turkey delivered in 2024. It also may raise concerns in Ankara since it came a mere two weeks after an Akinci drone in Turkish service crashed in Iraqi Kurdistan on March 16. Turkey's arch enemy, the armed Kurdish PKK group, released a video showing its forces targeting and bringing down that drone. Over the past year, reports indicate that the PKK may have acquired Iranian-made loitering missiles, explosive drones with optical sensors and infrared proximity fuses that loiter around a designated area searching for enemy drones. Whatever the PKK is using, it has proven capable of downing an increasing number of Turkish-made drones over the past year. The same goes for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in neighboring Syria. Since late 2024, several incidents indicate that the SDF has acquired or developed anti-drone capabilities. The group has brought down Turkish Bayraktar TB2, Aksungur, and Anka drones. It even accidentally shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone that it misidentified as a threat. Those Turkish drones downed over northeast Syria are all medium-altitude, long-endurance, or MALE, combat drones. The TB2, in particular, is a cost-effective drone that can endure significant attrition over the battlefield. On the other hand, the Akinci is a high-altitude, long-endurance, or HALE, drone that has much more advanced sensors, a much heavier payload, and can carry more extensive and advanced munitions and weaponry, including air-launched ballistic missiles. It can also fire air-to-air missiles. Drones like the TB2 are more comparable with the American MQ-1 Predator. The Akinci is more in league with the MQ-9 Reaper, given its larger size, more sophisticated weaponry, and superior sensors and surveillance capabilities. It, therefore, outclasses its predecessors as both a combat and surveillance drone. Its latter capabilities were dramatically demonstrated when a single Akinci entered Iranian airspace on the night of May 19, 2024, searching for the crashed helicopter of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. The drone used its thermal technology and other powerful sensors to scan the mountainous terrain where the helicopter went down amid pitch darkness and adverse weather conditions. Ankara boasted that the Akinci's mission provided critical information on the whereabouts of the helicopter and its deceased passengers. It was also a perfect opportunity to showcase the drone's capabilities and potentially attract sales. While its higher price tag might not win the Akinci as many export deals as the TB2, the most widely exported drone type worldwide, Ankara has already signed export agreements with at least 11 countries for the more advanced drone. These recent losses over Iraq Kurdistan and Mali may be bad news from a sales perspective. If the Algerian Air Force shot down Mali's Akinci rather than a separatist group, which seems most likely, that would prove less damaging to the drone's overall reputation. After all, most drones would stand little to no chance up against high-performance fighter jets armed with beyond-visual range air-to-air missiles, or advanced surface-to- air missiles. For example, Iran shot down an American RQ-4A Global Hawk surveillance drone capable of operating at altitudes of 65,000 feet with its 3rd Khordad medium-range air defense system over the Strait of Hormuz in June 2019. Of course, non-state actors do not possess such systems. While the Akinci is also a HALE drone with a purported maximum altitude of 45,118 feet, the two that went down over Mali and Iraqi Kurdistan probably flew at much lower altitudes, thus making them more vulnerable to loitering or possibly even shoulder-fired missiles. The Houthis in Yemen have successfully used Iranian-made loitering missiles against American Reapers, bringing down a significant number in recent months. African countries acquiring the Akinci are doing so for use against militias but buying them in far fewer numbers than they would, or even could, the TB2. Therefore, losses are immediately more significant and costly when they do happen. For example, the downing of Mali's Akinci immediately constituted the loss of 50 percent of Bamako's tiny fleet. Turkey also delivered two Akinci drones to Somalia in March to support Mogadishu's fight against the notorious Al-Shabaab group. If either of these is shot down, especially by those militants, that could bode ill for future sales in ways that combat losses of the cheaper and more ubiquitous TB2, the 500th unit of which rolled off its assembly line in June 2023, have not. Algeria's western neighbor and primary rival, Morocco, also received its first batch of Akinci drones in February 2025. Morocco already purchased the TB2 back in 2021 and has used armed drones in its conflict against the Polisario Front group in Western Sahara. Rabat doubtlessly looked at the downing of the Malian Akinci with particular interest. It may even deter it from operating its Akincis too close to the Algerian border for fear of losing any of those more expensive system. Turkish drone losses in the Middle East in recent months were not insignificant, especially considering the losses spanned at least four indigenous drone types. However, the loss of two Akincis in two weeks is arguably more significant since it is the most advanced drone Ankara has put into active service and sold abroad to date. Time will ultimately tell if such losses—especially if there are more to follow soon—will have a noticeable impact on future sales.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Turkish government racks up naval, drone deals during Asia trip
ISTANBUL — President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's trip to Asia has yielded a number of defense cooperation agreements meant to bring new business to Turkish defense companies. Earlier this week, Erdoğan visited Malaysia and Indonesia before moving on to Pakistan. He is accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, and Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat. In the first stop of the delegation's visit to Malaysia, a total of 11 agreements were signed between the two countries. One of them was a preliminary acceptance letter for the procurement of multipurpose mission ships between Desan Shipyard and the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs. The commercial value of the contract has not been disclosed by the parties involved. The Malaysian government said the vessel is expected to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2027, and it will be capable of operating continuously for 30 days. Its onboard features include a helideck, two aerial drones and four fast interceptor boats. 'This 99-meter-long vessel, capable of carrying 70 crew members and 30 passengers, will focus on monitoring activities in the South China Sea, particularly in countering foreign vessel intrusions, illegal fishing activities, and cross-border crimes such as smuggling and human trafficking,' a senior navy official said. The shipbuilding project is an addition to the continuing LMS batch 2 corvette construction project in Turkey, led by STM shipyard. In the second leg of his trip, Erdoğan visited Indonesia, where leaders from both nations signed 13 agreements. Among them was a joint venture pact between Republikorp and Baykar for the construction of a drone factory in Indonesia. According to the press release by Republikorp, the joint firm will focus on manufacturing and maintaining unmanned aerial vehicles. The primary products to be localized include up to 60 sets of Bayraktar TB3 and up to nine sets of Bayraktar Akinci drones. Baykar will contribute its expertise in manufacturing, technology transfer and training, while Republikorp will ensure regulatory compliance, infrastructure development, local expert certification, and integration into Indonesia's defense ecosystem.
