Türkiye signs NATO defence industry deals in five strategic areas

Türkiye signed agreements under the 2026 NATO Defence Industry Forum on several strategic capability areas to be developed jointly by member states, the head of the country’s Defence Industries Secretariat said Tuesday. Haluk Görgün said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal that the agreements cover strike capabilities, integrated air and missile defence systems, space and surveillance capabilities, critical raw materials for the defence industry, and NATO’s unmanned aerial vehicle superiority.

Key players and strategic significance

“These projects, which will include ASELSAN, Roketsan, STM and TÜBİTAK, will form the backbone of the alliance's deterrence architecture in the coming years,” Görgün said. The agreements were signed during the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum, being held in Ankara as part of the July 7-8 NATO Summit. The forum is NATO’s premier high-level event on transatlantic defence production, investment and innovation, with this year’s agenda focused on increasing defence production, cooperation and joint procurement across the alliance.

NATO’s growing consensus

The forum comes as NATO allies seek to expand industrial capacity and reinforce deterrence amid rising security challenges, with Türkiye positioning its defence industry as a key contributor to alliance capabilities. The agreements reflect the alliance’s growing consensus for industrial expansion, following the Defence Production Action Plan announced at the 2023 Vilnius summit and the Industrial Capacity Expansion Pledge agreed at the 2024 Washington summit.