Pakistan-Turkey defence deal: new threat to regional peace and security?

After getting recognition as an independent Islamic nation, Pakistan always desired that it would be recognized as a world power and made its independent identity by exiting from the shadow of India.

And this ambition forced him to stand on the doors of the superpowers like the petitioner. It continued to change the group since 1947. Pakistan, which was sometimes close to England and the United States, is now seen standing in the back of its fierce opponent like China. And the most important objective of all of this was to accumulate power against India. Pakistan used every organization and alliance to collect strategic gains and military equipment against India.

In the battles of 1965 and 1971, the Indian Navy had blunted the intensity of Pakistan’s naval attack. After 1971, every military and civilian government in Pakistan has been trying to dominate the Indian Ocean region. And now as part of China's ambitious CPEC project, Pakistan leased the coastal Gwadar port of Balochistan to China so that it could establish its dominion with the help of China. Simultaneously, Pakistan has made several defense deals in the past years to strengthen its navy. The current deal is also a stark link in this order.

A press release issued by the Pakistan embassy in Ankara said Pakistan Navy has signed a contract for acquisition of 4 x MILGEM Class Ships with M/S ASFAT A S Turkey. The contract also includes complete transfer of technology and the transfer of intellectual proprietary rights for the design of those ships to Pakistan. A noteworthy feature of the contract is that the fourth warship will be designed jointly by Pakistan’s Maritime Technologies Complex (MTC) and will be the first indigenously designed and constructed Frigate.

Meanwhile on the other side, Turkish National Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli also endorsed this contract.  “This will be the largest single export in the history of Turkish defense industry,” Canikli told Anadolu Agency and TV broadcaster TRT.

What the Pakistan and Turkey Get?

The MILGEM Class Ships contract will go a long way in fostering Pak-Turkey strategic relations which have grown with time. The induction of the ships will substantially enhance Pakistan Navy’s combat capabilities and will contribute effectively towards maritime security operations in the region.

MILGEM Class Ship is a capable and extremely potent platform, favourably comparable with any contemporary warship of modern navies. The ship is equipped with modern stealth features, and state-of-the-art 5th generation weapons and sensors, including indigenously developed missile system. The acquisition of the modern ships will enhance manifold the capabilities of Pakistan’s naval forces

What is MILGEM?

The Ada class (also known as the MILGEM project), is a Turkish national warship program, the purpose of which was to build a modern littoral combat ship with indigenous anti-submarine warfare and high-seas patrol capabilities, extensively using the principles of stealth technology in its design. The Istanbul class has its origins in the Turkish MILGEM project to develop its own indigenous warships and warship building industry.

What are the Corvettes?

Corvettes like frigates are multi-purpose guided-missile warships, the former operate in coastal and maritime areas and the latter on the oceans. Modern surface combatants - which include cruisers, destroyers, frigates and corvettes - are the workhorses of the fleet. Corvettes and frigates play a dominant role in most navies. The term "Frigate" may be applied to ships with over 3,000 tons of displacement to as much as 7,500 tons. While on the other hand Corvettes are smaller, maneuverable, lightly armed warships (between the size of a patrol boat and a frigate) that various countries use for coastal duty.

Corvettes typically provide nearly all the striking and sensor power of a frigate in a smaller platform. The corvette is generally defined as a heavily-armed small surface combatant measuring 55 to 100 meters in length and displacing up to 500 to 2,500 tons. A distinguishing feature of the corvette is her capability for limited independent deployment, typically between 10 to 20 days, and usually equipped with self-defence capability against air and submarine threats. It is often also helicopter-capable - sometimes even affording her own hangar. Such craft can take on at least an ASM-armed helicopter at standoff ranges up to 13km.

Turkey defence Export:

Turkish state news service Anadolu Agency revealed details of the country’s defence and aerospace sector’s export performance on 2 July, with figures for the first six months of 2018 showing a year-on-year increase in foreign sales of almost 14%. In total Turkey exported USD906.4 million in military and aerospace products in the first half of the year, compared with USD795.7 million during the same period in 2017. The statistics, based on data compiled by the professional organisation Turkish Exporters Assembly, show that the sector was responsible for 1.1% of Turkey’s total exports in 2018.

Main players in Turkish market

The largest single contributor to Turkey’s goods transfers was its automotive industry, at USD16.4 billion, or more than 20% of the total in the first half of the year. Turkey's exports have been on a steady rise since 2011 when the government decided to "nationalize" weapon systems and launch several indigenous programs, including helicopters, drones, frigates and corvettes, tanks, missile systems, and a fighter jet.

In 2016, Turkey's top export market was the United States, with $587 million worth of business, almost a third of all Turkish exports. Other top markets were Germany ($185 million), Malaysia ($99 million), Azerbaijan ($83 million), Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.

What are the main products in Turkish market?

Industry sources say Turkey's top armored vehicles manufacturers, Otokar, BMC, FNSS and the newly launched RBSS (a three-way, Turkey-based joint venture between BMC, Germany's Rheinmetall and Malaysia's Etika) are aggressively seeking deals in Gulf and Asian markets. Other potential export items include electronic and electro-mechanical systems, software, management systems, cybersecurity solutions, and flight simulators. Top Turkish exporters in these fields are Aselsan — Turkey's biggest defense company — Havelsan and STM.

Like Pakistan's any other defense deal this deal too is worrisome for India because China too engaged in making stronghold in this strategically important Indian Ocean region.

Now India needs to accelerate its military modernization program, at the same time, in such a situation India should make close strategic cooperation in this region. In this perspective, the “Quad” can be an important strategic alliance between India, USA, Japan and Australia. At the same time, efforts to isolate Pakistan in this region are an important diplomatic edge for the India.

On the other hand, relations between Turkey and Pakistan have more intensified over the years. Turkey strongly opposed the inclusion of Pakistan in the gray list of FATF. Pakistan has also built deep relations with Turkey in the defense sector. Turkey is becoming the new leader of Islamic fundamentalism, as well as new disclosures about its relations with Islamic terrorists. The extent to which this relationship affects the peace and security in the region, time better knows.