by Konstantine Kyprios, EastMed Strategic Studies military analyst
In recent decades, Turkey has made substantial progress in developing a self-sufficient defense industry. Central to this transformation has been its strategic focus on technology transfer and reverse engineering[i], which has enabled the country to enhance its military capabilities reduce dependency on foreign suppliers while strengthening what it sees as a technological and strategic autonomy. This report examines Turkey’s reverse engineering capabilities, its implications for military technology, and the rationale for denying Turkey the initial supply of F-35 fighter jets. The analysis draws attention to the risks associated with supplying Turkey advanced military technologies, particularly considering its reverse engineering practices and the dynamics and competition of both the Turkish Defense Industry as and of the Turkish state.
Reverse Engineering and Its Role in Turkey’s Military Modernization
Reverse engineering, or backward engineering, is the process by which a product is deconstructed to understand its design and functionality. This method is particularly valuable for adapting foreign military systems to domestic use. The process typically involves three key steps: information extraction, where relevant data is gathered, modeling, in which the collected data materialized into a prototype, and review, where the prototype undergoes testing to assess the effort. For Turkey, reverse engineering has been a critical tool in shifting from a reliance on foreign military imports to the development of indigenous defense systems.
Turkey’s defense industry began emphasizing on technology transfer and reverse engineering in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, seeking to mitigate the risks of over-reliance on foreign suppliers. These vulnerabilities included the potential for restricted access to vital technologies and the compromise of national security. Over time, this approach allowed Turkey to develop advanced weapons systems, including armored vehicles, missiles, and aircraft, while maintaining continuity in military operations. Importantly, the integration of reverse engineering into Turkey’s broader military modernization strategy has contributed to a shift in the country’s defense posture, aligning it with its broader goals of autonomy and self-sufficiency and great power aspirations.
The Role of Private Defense Companies in Turkey’s Military Advancements
Turkey’s progress in technology transfer and reverse engineering has been greatly supported by private defense companies such as Aselsan, Roketsan, and Havelsan[ii]. These companies collaborate closely with the Turkish government to adapt foreign technologies for local use. Their work has been critical in transforming Turkey from a defense importer into a producer of cutting-edge military systems.
These companies, leveraging their expertise and state-of-the-art facilities, have been instrumental in creating indigenous solutions to bolster Turkey’s defense capabilities. The country’s defense contractors focus not only on replicating existing technologies but also on improving and customizing these designs to meet specific needs, offering Turkey a unique advantage in both cost-effectiveness and technological innovation. As examples of Turkish industry related products, we can note the fallowing.
For example:
- The Kaplan Light Tank that incorporates technologies derived from reverse-engineered foreign designs. It is drawing inspiration from the German Leopard series, which allows Turkey to field indigenous options for light reconnaissance and assault missions.
- The Siper Long-Range Air Defense Missile System, that is considered as a result of reverse-engineering foreign radar and missile technologies, particularly from Russia[iii] and Western sources were Turkey is planning to create a homegrown long-range air defense system.
- The MPT-76, Turkey’s domestic assault rifle, that was developed through reverse engineering various modern rifles, including the German G3 and the American M16. The MPT-76 has been adopted by the Turkish Armed Forces and provides a domestically produced alternative to foreign-made rifles.
- The Atak 2 Helicopter. In 2018, the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSB) initiated the development of the Atak 2 helicopter, a heavy-class attack helicopter that is comparable to the American Boeing AH-64 Apache. This project, undertaken by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), builds on industrial experience gained from the joint T129 attack helicopter project with the Italian Leonardo Company.
These examples underscore the effectiveness of reverse engineering in facilitating Turkey’s development of cutting-edge military technologies. Through the strategic use of reverse engineering, Turkey has successfully advanced its military capabilities while reducing its dependency on foreign imports.
Global Examples of Reverse Engineering Success
Turkey is not alone in using reverse engineering to enhance its military capabilities. Other countries, including Iran and Russia, have also employed reverse engineering to develop indigenous military technologies. For instance, Iran, which had no significant defense industry when the 1979 revolution took place, reverse-engineered the Northrop F-5 fighter jet to produce the HESA Azarakhsh[iv]. Similarly, it developed its own Toophan missile by reverse-engineering the American BGM-71 TOW missile.
The Soviet Union also demonstrated the power of reverse engineering when it successfully copied the American B-29 bomber after three B-29s made forced landings in Soviet territory during World War II, leading to the development of the Tupolev Tu-4 bomber. These global examples of reverse engineering highlight the potential for countries to rapidly develop indigenous military systems by leveraging foreign technologies. Further examples are the K-13/R3S missile[v], derived from an AIM-9 Sidewinder fired by a Taiwanese fighter in 1958 to a Chinese MiG-17 where it did not explode resulting in to falling to Soviet hands and the DC-4E airliner, the prototype of the Douglas Aircraft Company, that was sold to the Imperial Japanese Airways resulting in its wings, engines and landing been used by the Nakajima Aircraft Company for the development of the G5N bomber.
The F-35 and Turkey’s Growing Military Industry
As such the cases as and the examples of successful models of reverse engineering do exist, and with Turkey having developed an advanced military industry that has gained the know-how from decades from joint production and upgrading projects with other Western firms, it is mots certain that has the capacity to exploit any F-35 fighter delivered to boost its own military prototypes notably the ambitious project of the KAAN fighter. Given Turkey’s increasing military self-sufficiency, there are legitimate concerns about the potential risks of supplying Turkey with advanced foreign technologies, such as the F-35 fighter jet. The F-35, as a fifth-generation stealth fighter, is a highly advanced piece of military technology. Turkey’s demonstrated ability to reverse-engineer foreign systems raise significant concerns about its potential to exploit the F-35 to further its own defense industry and projects.
The development of the Atak 2 Helicopter[vi] serves as an example of how Turkey has leveraged experience from joint production projects, such as the T129 helicopter, to develop advanced military solutions. Additionally, Turkey has developed indigenous upgrade systems for tanks like the Leopard 1 & 2 and the M60[vii] through joint projects with countries such as Israel and South Korea notably the Israeli Sabra upgrade project and the join Turkish Korea Altay tank project. These examples highlight Turkey’s capacity to reverse-engineer and adapt foreign military technologies, raising the possibility that any F-35 delivered to Turkey could be used to accelerate its own fighter jet programs. Delivering a small number of F-35 to Turkey will only allow the Turkish defense industry to study the fighter jet in order to gain expertise and copy it in order to facilitate its own defense projects as it happened with the G5N[viii] Japanese bomber as and its military industry that know must be recognized as an adversary
The Risks of Supplying F-35 to Turkey
Allowing Turkey to receive the F-35 fighter jet would not only enhance its defense capabilities but could also enable the Turkish defense industry to study and potentially replicate critical systems within the F-35, such as its avionics, stealth features, and propulsion technologies. This could result in a significant boost to Turkey’s defense industry and bring the country closer to achieving its goal of producing an indigenous, fifth-generation fighter jet—namely, the KAAN fighter. The risk is that Turkey, through its reverse engineering efforts, could develop a domestic fighter jet that competes directly with Western-made systems, undermining the strategic technological advantage held by NATO allies.
Given the sophistication of Turkey’s reverse engineering efforts and its increasing self-sufficiency in defense production, the delivery of the F-35 to Turkey should be reconsidered. Allowing Turkey access to such advanced technology could inadvertently empower its defense industry, creating a long-term strategic challenge for both national and global security interests.
Conclusion
Turkey’s technology transfer and reverse engineering capabilities have played a pivotal role in its transformation into a self-sufficient military power. By leveraging these capabilities, Turkey has successfully developed advanced military systems and reduced its reliance on foreign imports. However, the prospect of supplying Turkey with the F-35 fighter jet raises significant security concerns, particularly in light of the country’s proven ability to reverse-engineer foreign military technologies. The risk of Turkey using the F-35 to accelerate its own military programs, including the KAAN fighter jet project, poses a potential threat to both NATO allies and global security. Given these considerations, it is recommended that the delivery of the F-35 to Turkey be carefully reconsidered to protect the technological and strategic interests of NATO and its allies
[i] Merve Seren Yesiltas, (November 6, 2023), ‘A brief history of 100 years of the Turkish defence industry’, Politics Today.
[ii] Sitki Egeli, Serhat Guvenc, Caglar Kurc, Arda Meylutoglu, (May 2024) ‘Frome client to competitor: The rise of Turkiye’s Defence Industry’, The International Institute for Strategic Studies.
[iii] ‘Turkey actively studying S 400 air defense system to reverse engineer and T 400 SAM’, December 8, 2020, Global Defense Corp.
[iv] Dario Leone (July 11, 2019), “This is Iran’s Sad attempt at Reverse-Engineering an old F-5F Fighter’, The national interest.
[v] ‘R-3S aircraft missile (K-13, item 310 and 310A), Missilery.info.
[vi] ‘Turkiye’s 1st domestic heavy-class attack helicopter starts engine’, April 26, 2023, Daily Sabah.
[vii] ‘Modernization of Turkish army’s M60T battle tanks complete with active protection system included’, jul 12 2020, Daly Sabah
[viii] Francillon, Rene J. (1979), ‘Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War’, Putham & Company, London