NATO Workshop Highlights Turkey's AI Defense Strategy

Turkey's presentation at the NATO workshop reflects a national strategy years in the making. The country's 2021-2025 National Artificial Intelligence Strategy outlines a vision for an "agile and sustainable AI ecosystem," aiming to boost AI's contribution to GDP to 5% and train 50,000 AI professionals by 2025. This is a core pillar of the government's "National Technology Initiative" and "Digital Turkey" vision. Key to this strategy is the development of indigenous AI-driven defense systems. Companies like Baykar are integrating AI into new generations of their famed drones; the Bayraktar TB2T-AI, for instance, features three AI computers for autonomous flight, visual navigation, and dynamic route planning, enabling it to operate even in electronic warfare conditions. Similarly, Turkish Aerospace Industries' (TAI) Anka-3, a stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), leverages AI for swarm technologies and manned-unmanned teaming. The application of AI extends beyond aerial platforms. HAVELSAN is developing "Digital Troops," a concept integrating autonomous land, air, and sea systems like the BARKAN UGV and SANCAR armed unmanned surface vehicle. These systems use swarm intelligence for coordinated missions. STM's KARGU loitering munition, which can operate in swarms of up to 20, reportedly uses machine learning for autonomous target recognition and has been deployed along the Syrian-Turkish border. This push into AI defense is fueling significant export growth. Turkey's defense and aerospace exports surged 48% to $10.54 billion in 2025, with a goal of ranking among the world's top 10 defense exporters. These exports, which reached $8.5 billion in 2025, are seen as crucial for supporting the sustainability of Turkey's defense industry and its goal of strategic autonomy. The domestic AI startup ecosystem is also gaining momentum, with 1,188 active AI startups. In a significant move to bolster this ecosystem, the government announced a $10 billion venture fund to finance AI and data processing startups through 2030. While the ecosystem is still early-stage, with median investments around $100,000, AI startups raised nearly double the funding in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year, even as overall VC funding in the country saw a dip. Several Turkish deeptech startups are gaining international recognition. Three Turkish companies—Arke Telekom, Simularge, and Exentech—were selected for NATO's Defense Innovation Accelerator (DIANA) program, giving them access to funding and a network of test centers across the alliance. This integration into NATO's innovation pipeline signals a maturation of the local ecosystem and its potential for global impact.