Is Turkey-Egypt rapprochement turning into a long-term defense partnership?

As Egypt’s appetite for defense materiel looks to once again grow, Turkey stands out as a major regional supplier amid rapidly expanding military cooperation between the two countries.

During Egypt Defense Expo (EDEX) 2023, held Dec. 4–7 in Cairo, several major Turkish defense firms signed memoranda of understanding (MOU) with Egyptian companies. According to sector experts, it is not clear how far Ankara and Cairo will take their defense ties, but if they chose to jointly design and produce defense platforms, it could change the strategic outlook in the eastern Mediterranean and the broader Middle East and North Africa. Relations between Turkey and Egypt are fast moving from rapprochement toward defense trade and joint weapons production. 

Money, prestige and more customers for Turkey

Twenty-three Turkish firms participated in EDEX 2023. Their ranks included Aselsan, Baykar, Roketsan and Turkish Aerospace, all of which recently featured on the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s list of “Top 100 Arms-Producing and Military Services Companies, 2022.”