Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s), or drones, as we usually call them, seem relatively new, but are rather an idea that was introduced a long time ago. The first UAV’s were hot air balloons, an Austrian artillery lieutenant later turned these in to ‘balloon bombs’ (Daly, n.d.). However, as a result of technological improvements drones developed and became incredibly capable unmanned planes applicable for warfare. At first it were mainly great international powers like the US that produced these drones, but now a new power has arisen. Two Turkish brothers, of whom one graduated from MIT, founded a company called Baykar specialized in the production of drones and their company has grown to become a pride of Turkey (Nazar, 2021).
Baykar is a company that shows how power relations can shift as a result of technology and how countries can use such technology to increase their power and decrease their dependence on other countries. Turkey has been able to interfere with and influence conflicts by deploying these drones. Azerbaijan would not have been able to win the war in Nagorno-Karabach as easy as they did, would it not have been for the deployment of the Turkish drones. The Turkish interference with the conflict led to critique from the EU, but also led to interest in Turkish drones from many countries (Nazar, 2021). Also the deployment of these drones for strikes on the PKK creates friction between Turkey and the US, as the US partnered with a partly Kurdish organization with direct links to the PKK to defeat IS (Stein, 2021).
Whether drones are actually a desirable weapon to deploy for warfare remains debatable. Drones have killed civilians and may take away the human aspect of warfare, as remote strikes become increasingly easy to execute. In Turkey however, this debate does not seem to exist. People are in general proud that a Turkish company produces these drones that allows Turkey to even further establish its sovereignty (Nazar, 2021). Nevertheless, the Turkish drones may result in a shift in warfare as drones may become more readily available for smaller countries that do not have a great relation with the US, as the US have always been hesitant in selling their drone technology (Nazar, 2021).
References
Nazar, M. (2021, 6 oktober). Turkije verkoopt gevechtsdrones aan steeds meer landen: “We hebben de beste”. NOS. https://nos.nl/artikel/2400633-turkije-verkoopt-gevechtsdrones-aan-steeds-meer-landen-we-hebben-de-beste
Stein, A. (2021, 5 oktober). The American Deconfliction Disadvantage: Ankara’s Drone Campaign in Syria and Iraq. War on the Rocks. https://warontherocks.com/2021/10/the-american-deconfliction-disadvantage-ankaras-drone-campaign-in-syria-and-iraq/
Daly, D. (2020, 8 december). A Not-So-Short History of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Consortiq. https://consortiq.com/short-history-unmanned-aerial-vehicles-uavs/
Happened to be in Istanbul not too long ago and often noticed fighter jets flying over in certain formations. I did not pay too much attention towards it but your article really gives some more insights as to the difference in public opinion towards a countries military power and why those jets were so present.
In the past, the United States has always been very hesitant in sharing their drones and technology with other NATO countries, as they are afraid that their technologies will be copied. Now that Turkey is a viable option, I am wondering what that will do to the market. Do you think that the willingness to provide drones by the US will shift now that there is serious competition in the market?
Hi Hielke,
Very interesting piece on an original topic. I agree with you on that these kinds of technological advancements are a very powerful tool and will indeed lead to a shift in power relations. I also think that the impact of new technologies in warfare drives changes in warfare more than any other factor and it is indeed debatable whether this is desirable. You mention that the debate on whether drones are a desirable weapon does not exist in Turkey. But then I wonder; does it exist in the United States for example? They have had these drones since 2014. The way I see it, is that the United States is the world’s dominant military power and is determined to keep it that way. I do not see them complaining about it..