In just two years, Indonesia and Malaysia have become major importers of Turkish weapons systems, ordering advanced unmanned aerial vehicles, anti-ship missiles and even warships, writes "Forbes" magazine, quoted by BTA.
The publication recalls the visit of Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler earlier this month to Indonesia, where he expressed hope that the number of joint exercises and maneuvers conducted by the armed forces of the two countries will be increased.
"Our main goal is to raise our friendship and cooperation to a much higher level in every field," he said, quoted by "Forbes".
Indonesian Navy interested in acquiring unmanned aircraft "Bayraktar Akanja" and "Anka", produced by the state-owned company Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI), and Baykar and TAI are also ready to cooperate with the Indonesian aerospace company "Dirgantara Indonesia" (Dirgantara Indonesia).
Jakarta has already ordered 12 unmanned aircraft "Anka" for its army, air force and navy under a deal worth $300 million with TAI in 2023, expecting full delivery before November 2025, the magazine reminded.
In June, the Ministry of Defense of Indonesia proposed the armament of the future frigates “Red White“ with Turkish missiles, revising the previous plan to import weapons from other suppliers for these warships.
The move comes after Indonesia decided to buy 45 of Turkey's domestically developed Atmaja anti-ship cruise missiles, making Jakarta the first foreign customer for the Turkish surface-to-air missile, Forbes said. Turkey created "Atmaja" to replace US AGM-84 Harpoons.
"Atmaja" is not the only missile developed in Turkey that Indonesia bought before all other foreign countries, Forbes also points out. In November 2022, the Turkish missile manufacturer Roketsan signed a contract with Indonesia for the supply of the short-range ballistic missile "Kan". (Khan), an export version of Turkey's Bora-1, making Jakarta the first foreign operator of Turkey's short-range ballistic missile.
Indonesia signed this contract along with another contract to develop a multi-layer air defense system from Turkey, but the details of this second contract are not publicly known.
During the same period, Turkey concluded several significant defense contracts with Indonesia's neighbor - Malaysia, the publication also says.
Defense Minister Yaşar Güler visited Malaysia last week and met with his Malaysian counterpart and the country's Prime Minister, with whom he discussed bilateral defense cooperation.
In June, Malaysia signed a contract in Turkey to build three ships for littoral missions for the Royal Malaysian Navy. According to "Defense News" ("Defense News") the contract "marks the first time Malaysia has signed an intergovernmental agreement to purchase defense equipment".
Turkey expects to start construction of the warships this year and deliver them in less than four years. The ships will be equipped with Turkish sensors and "Atmaja" missiles.
Malaysian company "Dayateh Merin" (Dayatech Merin) also plans to acquire Turkish anti-ship missiles "Kuzgun" (Kuzgun) for the corvettes of the Malaysian Navy and cutters, writes "Forbes".
In May 2023, Malaysia announced that it had signed a contract with TAI for three "Anka" unmanned aerial vehicles. to support Air Force and police operations under a $91.6 million contract.
With so many projects underway, it is clear that by the end of this decade, the armed forces of Indonesia and Malaysia will most likely have various Turkish-made systems to monitor and protect their respective airspaces and territorial waters, concludes "Forbes".