The Effects of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War on Arms Sales: How Turkey Became the World’s Leading Manufacturer of Drones

The sale of arms is one of the oldest trades in human history. With arms sales, civilizations with better equipment and warfare could conquer other civilizations despite being less populated. Two world wars proved that belligerent forces could not depend on their arms industry alone to change the tide of war, showing how a weapon’s performance affects its value. For example, Britain realized it could not suppress Nazi Germany's U-Boat Power without support from the United States (U.S.). The Royal Airforce imported PBY Catalina Reconnaissance planes from the U.S. to locate and destroy the U-Boats. Today, Russia and the U.S. are the two dominant arms dealers after World War ۲, controlling about ۶۰% of all arms exports. Turkey is the rising star in global trade, especially in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). This research aims to demonstrate the effects of the Nagorno-Karabakh War on Turkey's arms trade. Using the arms sales theory to assess its assumption, this research sought to understand the relationship between the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War and its effects on Turkey’s UAV sales. This research found that the performance and quality of Turkish UAVs in the war has resulted in an increase in Turkish arms exports to other countries and shifted Turkey’s position in the arms trade from a drones buyer to a drone-making power.

کلیدواژه ها:

Arms Sales ، Nagorno-Karabakh War ، Turkey ، Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ، War.