Türkiye, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia signed a quadrilateral defense cooperation agreement in Doha on Wednesday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.
The "Badr Memorandum of Understanding" is aimed at boosting defense cooperation and strengthening the four countries' defensive capabilities. It will also support military exercises and training and cooperation on research and development (R&D) and contribute to joint efforts to improve their defense industries, the ministry said.
"The agreement holds substantial economic importance," it said. "By leveraging the unique military production capabilities of each country, the initiative will facilitate cooperation and integration, enhance defense industrial capacities, and enable the fulfillment of the needs of allied and friendly nations."
Türkiye, which has NATO's second-largest army and a robust defense industry, has been helping Gulf nations, including Qatar, where it has a military base, bolster their defenses amid the Iran war.
In August, it signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement with nuclear-armed Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, under which an attack on one party constitutes an attack on all. Ankara also has close ties with Indonesia, notably in the defense industry.
Türkiye says that the Mecca partnership is meant to strengthen collective deterrence, enhance joint capabilities in the defense sector and safeguard security and stability in the region.
The Badr accord will strengthen ties between the countries' defense industries and bolster collaboration to promote security and achieve shared objectives, the Defense Ministry said.
Haluk Görgün, the chair of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), said the agreement formed the foundation of a "strategic cooperation" to develop joint production and technology.
"Technology sharing, joint development and strengthening domestic production capabilities lie at the heart of a sustainable defense industry. As Türkiye, we value partnerships that go beyond off-the-shelf procurement models, that foster the development of a nation's own human capital and industrial infrastructure," Görgün said in a statement.
"We believe that the Badr Memorandum of Understanding will contribute to transforming the complementary capabilities of Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Türkiye into concrete projects," he added.
Wednesday's agreement builds on existing bilateral relationships and could create new areas of cooperation. It could also help bring together the countries' industrial capabilities in projects already underway.
Areas of concrete cooperation include joint R&D projects, joint production of certain components of defense products, training of technical personnel, sharing of engineering experience, adapting jointly developed products to each side's needs and marketing them internationally.
Cooperation between Türkiye and Qatar has recently turned toward joint investment and production models. Bayraktar TB2 armed drones, armored vehicles and assault boats have entered Qatar's armed forces inventory.
Barzan Holding, owned by Qatar's Defense Ministry, has signed several agreements with Turkish firms including Aselsan, STM and MKE. Through BARQ, a company set up in Qatar by Aselsan and Barzan, assembly, production and calibration of remote-controlled weapon systems (SARP) and electro-optical devices have begun in Qatar.
In Pakistan, a major example is the PN Milgem (Babur-class) corvette project, led by the Turkish contractor ASFAT. Of the four corvettes, the first two were built in Istanbul and the other two at Karachi Shipyard in Pakistan.
The project modernized the yard's production infrastructure and passed shipbuilding and outfitting skills to the local workforce.
With Indonesia, recent concrete steps include the sale of the Kaan fighter jet, the joint development of the Kaplan MT medium tank and an armored personnel carrier, and the supply and coproduction of the Atmaca anti-ship missile.
Under an intergovernmental agreement between the SSB and Indonesia's Defense Ministry, the Kaplan MT was co-designed by Türkiye's FNSS and Indonesia's PT Pindad.
Prototypes and the first production tanks were delivered to Indonesian users, and production continues in Indonesia at PT Pindad under a technology transfer arrangement.
The agreement comes as Türkiye's defense exports reach record levels.
According to figures from the Defense and Aerospace Industry Exporters' Association (SSI), Türkiye's defense and aerospace sector exported about $54 billion between 2012 and 2026, including the first nine months of this year.
More than $30 billion of that was in 2023-2026, meaning the last four years account for over 55% of the total for the past 14 years.
Exports rose 48% in 2025 to a record of more than $10 billion, and exports over the last 12 months topped $11 billion for the first time.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says Türkiye raised its arms exports by 122% over the past five years, making it the world's 11th-largest arms supplier. About 56% of Türkiye's defense and aerospace exports go to NATO allies, the report said.
