Turkey’s Drone Industry at a Strategic Crossroads

Turkey's combat drone industry, having expanded across Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East, now faces a strategic crossroads between pursuing unconstrained global market dominance and integrating into NATO and European defense-industrial structures. Ankara's dual-track strategy is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain as geopolitical polarization intensifies. The article examines the tradeoffs Turkey faces in drone diplomacy and defense exports.