As Turkey prepares to purchase 12 second-hand Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets from Qatar, a series of defense industry cooperation agreements were signed between the two countries, further deepening bilateral relations.
A number of the 47 Turkish companies participating in the International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2026) in Doha reached agreements with Qatar. The signing ceremonies were attended by Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al-Thani, and Turkey's Defense Industry President Haluk Görgün, in addition to company representatives.
BILLION-DOLLAR FRIGATE PROJECT
A memorandum of understanding was signed between TAİS, a joint venture of Anadolu, Sedef, and Sefine shipyards, and Barzan Holdings, affiliated with the Qatar Ministry of Defence, for the construction of two I-class (İstif class) frigates. The project cost is $1 billion, and the final user of the frigates to be built with funding from the Qatari company will be the Indonesian Navy.
The modular I-class frigates, equipped with an integrated combat system developed under Turkey's National Shipbuilding Program (MİLGEM), are approximately 113 meters long and have a displacement of over 3,000 tons.
The propulsion system, consisting of diesel engines and gas turbines, propels the combined (CODAG) frigates to a maximum speed of 29 knots and provides a cruising range of 5,700 nautical miles (approximately 10,600 kilometers).
The I-class frigates are equipped with the Cenk-S AESA radar system developed by Aselsan and the Advent Combat Management System produced by Havelsan. The ships are also equipped with Atmaca anti-ship missiles, the Midlas vertical launch system (VLS), and the Gökdeniz close-in weapon system (CIWS).
Turkey, which previously supplied four ADA-class corvettes to Pakistan, two to Ukraine, three to Malaysia, and one to Romania, had also signed a contract with Indonesia last year, for the supply of two I-class frigates. These two frigates for the Indonesian navy will be built with funding from the Qatari government company Barzan Holdings.
STM SIGNS MOU FOR JOINT PRODUCTION
Defense Technologies Engineering Inc. (STM) signed a MoU with Barzan Holdings for the local production and development of unmanned air and sea systems in Qatar.
With the aim of strengthening Qatar's defense industry, STM will contribute to Barzan Holdings as a development partner in the fields of engineering, system development, and technology integration. The memorandum targets to locally produce, integrate, and develop the future capabilities of STM's tactical unmanned air and sea systems in Qatar.
MKE TO ESTABLISH A JOINT VENTURE
The Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) also signed an agreement with Barzan Holdings to establish a joint venture to allow transfer of explosive manufacturing capability to Qatar and the sale of high-technology products, in particular the MKE Tolga Short-Range Air Defence System to the Qatari Armed Forces.
In Feb. 2025, MKE and Barzan Holdings signed a comprehensive cooperation protocol covering defense and investment activities. With the MoU signed on Jan. 19, the two companies took another step toward establishing a joint venture.
Qatar will be the first country to receive Tolga, developed by MKE to counter threats from mini and micro UAVs, tactical drones, smart munitions, and cruise missiles.
MKE Tolga, which integrates radar, jammer, and weapon systems, can be used to protect land forces, mobile convoys, and naval platforms, as well as facilities such as refineries, airports, bases, and ports.
RELATIONS DEEPEN
While Turkey-Qatar political relations have progressed rapidly over the past 25 years, the two countries have also taken notable steps in the areas of defense industry and military cooperation.
In 2001, the Security Cooperation Agreement was signed, followed by the Agreement on Military Training, Technical and Scientific Cooperation in 2007, the Defense Industry Cooperation MoU in 2012, and the Agreement on Cooperation Regarding the Deployment of Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) on Qatari Territory in 2014. Qatar, meanwhile, acquired BMC, a company that manufactures tanks for the TAF, in 2014.
Starting in 2015, Turkish soldiers, commando and artillery units, and armored vehicles began to be deployed in Qatar. In 2017, the Turkish-Qatar Joint Combined Forces Command was established. Baykar supplies unmanned aerial vehicles to the Qatari army, Anadolu Shipyard supplies warships, and Aselsan has established a branch in Qatar in the last five years.
