How Powerful is Turkey? An In-Depth Look at Turkish Military Strength

Turkey has emerged as a significant regional power, with one of the most powerful militaries in the world. As a member of NATO, Turkey wields substantial influence, but has also charted its own independent course on foreign policy. Let’s take a closer look at the capabilities of the Turkish Armed Forces.

Overview of the Turkish Military

• The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) consist of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
• With over 355,000 active personnel, Turkey has the 2nd largest standing military force in NATO, after the United States.
• Turkey spends around $19 billion annually on defense, approximately 1.89% of its GDP.
• Key defense suppliers include Germany, South Korea, Spain, Italy, and the United States. Turkey also has a growing indigenous defense industry.

Turkish Army

• With over 260,000 active personnel, the Turkish Army is the largest branch of the military.
• Turkey has over 3200 tanks, including 328 modern Leopard 2A4 and 315 newer Altay tanks.
• Other armored vehicles number over 9400, including 1000+ Cobra and Kirpi MRAPs designed locally.
• Self-propelled artillery strength stands at around 1000, including 325+ Panter howitzers.
• The Army has thousands of towed artillery pieces, multiple rocket launchers, and air defense guns.

Turkish Air Force

• With nearly 60,000 personnel and more than 1000 aircraft, the Air Force fields potent air power.
• The fighter fleet includes around 240 F-16 Falcons, the backbone of Turkey’s air combat capabilities.
• 60 F-4 Phantom II provide additional multirole capacity.
• Turkey operates 20 CN-235 light transport aircraft, 7 Airbus A400M strategic airlifters, and 9 C-160 transports.
• Unmanned aerial vehicle strength exceeds 100, including armed Bayraktar TB-2 drones.

Turkish Navy

• With over 45,000 active personnel, the Turkish Navy is a formidable force in the Mediterranean.
• The surface fleet includes 16 frigates, 8 corvettes, 12 submarines, and various fast attack craft.
• The first of 4 new Istanbul-class frigates entered service in 2021, with local design and construction.
• The Navy will also operate the upcoming 27,000 ton TCG Anadolu amphibious assault ship.
• Naval aviation operates around 50 maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters.

Overseas Military Deployments

• Turkey has over 60,000 military personnel deployed overseas on various missions.
• The Cyprus Turkish Peace Force with around 30,000 troops is Turkey’s largest overseas contingent.
• Around 600 troops serve with the UN force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
• Turkey has hundreds of personnel deployed in Kosovo, Bosnia, Somalia, Qatar, and Afghanistan.

Nuclear Capabilities

• Turkey is part of NATO’s nuclear sharing policy, hosting US nuclear weapons at Incirlik Air Base.
• Around 50 B61 gravity bombs are stored at Incirlik, of which 40 are allocated for Turkish forces.
• These nuclear weapons could be delivered by Turkish F-16s in a crisis, but require NATO approval.

With robust air, land, and naval forces, Turkey has evolved into a regional military heavyweight. Its growing indigenous defense industry also provides systems for export around the world However, Turkey faces economic challenges that could hamper defense modernization efforts in the long run. Nonetheless, the Turkish military will continue to play a prominent role both within NATO and in the Middle East