Turkey, Qatar deepen defense ties with multiple deals at naval expo

ISTANBUL — Turkey and Qatar deepened their defense-industrial cooperation during the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) 2026, with a series of agreements signed between Qatari entity Barzan Holdings and leading Turkish defense companies.

The most prominent development involved Turkish shipbuilding consortium TAIS and Barzan Holdings, which signed a $1 billion agreement covering the procurement of two Istif-class frigates.

The agreement was signed by Barzan Holdings on behalf of an international client, which was identified as the Indonesian Navy.

A separate agreement related to the same program had previously been signed between TAIS Shipyards and Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense during the IDEF defense exhibition in Istanbul in July 2025.

Unmanned systems cooperation also featured prominently at the naval show.

STM signed a memorandum of understanding with Barzan Holdings covering joint production and co-development of unmanned aerial systems, with options to extend cooperation to unmanned naval platforms.

Under the pact, STM aims to support the local production and integration of its tactical drones in Qatar, while providing engineering, systems development and technology integration support.

In a statement, Turkey’s Defense Industries Presidency said five cooperation agreements were signed at DIMDEX between Barzan Holdings and ASELSAN, ASFAT, MKE, STM and TAIS, covering ammunition production, systems engineering, naval platforms and technology sharing.

Taken together, the deals underline how Ankara and Doha are moving beyond buyer–seller relations toward joint ventures, localized production and third-market projects and positioning Turkey as a long-term industrial partner in Qatar’s defense modernization plans.

Cem Devrim Yaylali is a Turkey correspondent for Defense News. He is a keen photographer of military ships and has a passion for writing about naval and defense issues. He was born in Paris, France, and resides in Istanbul, Turkey. He is married with one son.

伊斯坦布尔——在2026年多哈国际海事防务展览会暨会议（DIMDEX）期间，土耳其和卡塔尔深化了国防工业合作，卡塔尔巴尔赞控股公司与土耳其领先的国防公司签署了一系列协议。

最引人注目的进展是土耳其造船联合体 TAIS 和 Barzan Holdings 签署了一项价值 10 亿美元的协议，涵盖采购两艘伊斯蒂夫级护卫舰。

该协议由 Barzan Holdings 代表一家国际客户签署，该国际客户被确认为印度尼西亚海军。

此前，TAIS 造船厂和印度尼西亚国防部在 2025 年 7 月伊斯坦布尔举行的 IDEF 防务展上签署了与同一项目相关的另一项协议。

无人系统合作也是本次海军展的重点议题。

STM与Barzan Holdings签署了一份谅解备忘录，内容涵盖无人机系统的联合生产和联合开发，并可选择将合作扩展到无人海军平台。

根据该协议，STM 旨在支持其战术无人机在卡塔尔的本地生产和集成，同时提供工程、系统开发和技术集成支持。

土耳其国防工业局在一份声明中表示，在DIMDEX展会上，Barzan Holdings与ASELSAN、ASFAT、MKE、STM和TAIS签署了五项合作协议，涵盖弹药生产、系统工程、海军平台和技术共享。

总而言之，这些交易凸显了安卡拉和多哈如何超越买卖关系，转向合资企业、本地化生产和第三方市场项目，并将土耳其定位为卡塔尔国防现代化计划中的长期工业合作伙伴。

杰姆·德夫里姆·亚伊拉利是《防务新闻》驻土耳其记者。他热衷于拍摄军舰，并对海军和国防议题充满热情。他出生于法国巴黎，现居土耳其伊斯坦布尔。他已婚，育有一子。