Regional threats prompt Turkey to boost defense spending by billions

Turkey’s defense committee has approved billions of dollars in additional defense spending, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Wednesday. Much of the spending would go toward domestic military production at a time the country has seen growing regional threats, Defense News reported.

“Today we approved $5.9 billion worth of new defense projects. Around $4.5 billion worth of these projects will consist of local production,” Davutoğlu said.

The premier, who chairs the Defense Industry Executive Committee, said the country has advanced in domestic production in recent years. The development by a Turkish company of a medium-altitude drone, which debuted last month, moved Turkey away from relying on foreign drone production. At the same time, Davutoğlu said Turkey was planning to receive 17 attack helicopters this year, adding to the 10 that were co-produced by the Italian-British AugustaWestland and Tusas Turkish Aerospace Industries.

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