Turkish Air War Industry between 1970-2023

This study dealt with the Turkish air war industry. Our study consists of three parts. In the first part, the birth years of Turkish aviation and the wars it participated in are examined. Unfortunately, the air war industry could not be established during this period when Turkish aviation was born. Together with the second part, the development of our air war industry has been discussed. With the proclamation of the Republic, the construction of modern Turkey under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk has started in every field. The aviation and air war industry was seen as the protector and permanent guardian of the established modern Turkey. For this reason, great importance has been given to the air war industry and efforts have been made to provide the necessary environment for its development. However, an environment has not been created in which our air war industry, established in accordance with a great desire and need, can stand on its own feet. the factories established between Dec. 1925 and Dec. 1948 were closed one by one for various reasons. In the third part, the adventure of re-establishing the Turkish air war industry is discussed. With the introduction of the Cyprus issue to Turkey's agenda, the air war industry has been taken up again as a state policy. as of 1970, steps have been taken in this field. The Air Force Empowerment Foundation was established first. Turkish Aircraft Industry Inc. (TUSAŞ) was established under the leadership of this foundation. TAI's aim is to reduce foreign dependency in the air war industry. However, no significant steps were taken in this field until the early 1980s. At the beginning of the 1980s, the necessary companies and factories for the Turkish air war industry began to be established one by one. The backbone of our air war industry has been formed with the establishment of companies such as TAI, TEI, HAVELSAN. In summary, in this study, the birth of Turkish aviation, the establishment and revitalization of the Turkish air war industry were examined. In the investigations, Republic Archive documents, Turkish Grand National Assembly minutes and the Official Gazette were used. Additionally, periodicals and research works were used. For recent developments, the websites of relevant institutions and organizations were used. Keywords: Air War Industry, Warfare Industry, Defense Industry, TAI, TEI, HAVELSAN