Türkiye's Vision 2023 projects signify the start of a new era

Lately, Türkiye has taken some leaps to catch up with the era. The immense industrial developments in the last decade contributed to Ankara's role in international politics and people’s welfare.

The ancient nation started building its native defense equipment in the previous decade. Mainly known for its eye-catching drones, Baykar Technology is Türkiye’s pioneer company for national defense.

Highly capable fighter drones designed and produced by Baykar made it to the headlines worldwide, garnering tremendous interest.

The attention transformed into orders for the UCAVs, especially for the TB2 drone. Exported to more than 15 countries, the drones displayed quite a show in Ukraine against Russia and Karabakh against Armenia.

Naturally, the drones needed a companion in the Turkish Military. Following the sound of reason, Türkiye produced the world’s first UCAV-carrier warship, TCG Anadolu.

However, TCG Anadolu will be working with the successors of the TB2. The ship is capable of carrying 41 drones and 29 helicopters simultaneously.

TCG Anadolu became Türkiye’s flagship after being built. The ship can practically anchor at any sea and “is the biggest weapon Türkiye has ever produced,” according to political analyst Dr. İbrahim Karataş.

TCG Anadolu was built under the supervision of Sedef Shipyard, the principal contractor. Several universities and research centers accompanied the project alongside 131 subcontractors.

The ship is around 70 percent indigenous, according to Anadolu Agency. She will host 1,223 crew members and be able to carry 94 vehicles, such as tanks, ZAHAs, and armored personnel carriers.

The 231-meter-long ship has the most sizeable twin propeller in the world and has no rudder. According to Sedef’s CEO Metin Kalkavan, “The world's greatest electric twin propeller also acts as a rudder and provides superior maneuverability.”

TCG Anadolu anchored at Sarayburnu Port in Sirkeci, İstanbul, and attracted more than 90 thousand visitors in one week.

T10X: A DREAM COME TRUE

Türkiye dreamt of manufacturing its native car for a century. There were attempts in the 60s under the brand “Devrim Automobile,” which sadly did not work out.

After a little more than six decades, Türkiye debuted its first native electric automobile, called “TOGG.”

The brand has a single model as of now, called T10X, a C-segment SUV produced in Gemlik, Bursa.

The name “TOGG” is an acronym for “Türkiye’nin Otomobili Girişim Grubu” (Türkiye’s Automobile Enterprise Group), and the company is owned by five Turkish giants: Anadolu Group, BMC Türkiye, Turkcell, Zorlu Holding, and TOBB.

Four of these five shareholders have the same share at 23 percent. TOBB, the only outlier, has only an 8 percent stake in the venture.

The name "T10X" is an acronym with "T" signifying Türkiye, "10" representing the C segment platform, and "X" meaning SUV.

The most powerful variant of the T10X has a 160 kW/218 ps power output and can reach from 0 to 100 in just under 7.5 seconds, and its strongest version comes with 523 kilometers of range.

The T10X is designed to be sporty, smart, and luxurious. It delivers what it promises with its power output, side applications that connect with the car alongside a modern end-to-end screen, its comfy innards made of artificial leather, and expansive living space.

The sporty SUV’s price ranges from roughly 900 thousand to 1.25 million liras, approximately 49 thousand to 65 thousand US dollars.

TOGG presents a reasonable alternative on the price-to-performance scale compared to its rivals.

One vehicle it is frequently compared with is Tesla’s Model Y, which newly arrived in Türkiye and has a price tag of more than 1.6 million liras (~82.000 USD).

The manufacturing process not only adds to the GDP of the country by increasing product output and consumption, but it also creates employment for thousands of people.

The erection of the car brand brought together with it the erection of the battery brand, Siro.

Siro is a green energy company specializing in lithium-ion e-vehicle batteries. The company was founded in 2021 by Türkiye’s TOGG and China’s Farasis Energy.

The foundation of Turkey's first battery factory was laid in the Gemlik district of Bursa on the 24th of April with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s participation.

The factory will provide employment and produce for multiple countries and regions outside Türkiye.

FREE GAS FOR PEOPLE

Türkiye had found natural gas in the Black Sea some time ago. The total reserves amount to about 710 billion cubic meters.

Speaking at the Commissioning of the Natural Gas Ceremony in Zonguldak, President Erdoğan said, “When we reach full capacity, we will be able to meet approximately 30 percent of our country's annual need.”

President Erdoğan also described the promising developments pledged to the people when the gas was first discovered.

With a duration of one year, 25 cubic meters of gas will be free to all households, and for the first month, all the household gas costs will be borne by the state.

The start day is the 20th of April, 2023. President Erdoğan added that the state also applied a 75 percent discount to natural gas to ease the burden on the residents that emerged from the global pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

The blossoming in the gas field indicates an estimated saving of 1800 liras per annum per household, which amounts to 150 TRY monthly.

The gas extracted from the Black Sea will contribute particularly to Türkiye's ambitions of becoming a "gas hub" for the region as well.

These grand projects increase Türkiye’s international prestige and military deterrence capability. The industrial leaps also ensure that Türkiye and Turkish folks find their place in the contemporary world. The financial outputs of the undertakings prove advantageous for the population.

Mansur Ali Bilgiç - 27/04/2023