According to the Turkish publication, for over 40 years, Israel maintained a unique dominance and sold systems to many countries on the continent, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador and even Venezuela. In fact, the only defense procurement of Argentina and Paraguay from the Middle East came from Israel. Israel has even integrated itself into local development, such as in the Argentine IA63 Pampa training aircraft project and in maintenance agreements for Colombia’s air fleet.
However, the war in Gaza and the accompanying political consequences created unprecedented friction. Colombia severed diplomatic relations with Israel, jeopardizing maintenance agreements for the aging Kfir fleet and future procurement plans such as the BARAK MX air defense systems and ATMOS guns. Moreover, Colombian officials announced last September the production of the country’s first assault rifle, the Indumil Cordova, in order to replace the weapon previously supplied by Israel. At the same time, Chile kept Israeli companies away from a major aerospace exhibition, and the Pegasus spy software became a focus of controversy in countries such as Colombia.
On the other hand, Turkey recognizes an opportunity to challenge the long-standing Israeli dominance. Ankara offers a combination of cost-effective platforms and willingness to co-produce, an approach that matches the industrialization ambitions of the region’s governments seeking to reduce dependence on major power monopolies. Seven of Turkey’s leading companies registered an increase in the global ranking, with Baykar entering the top 100 list due to demand for air systems. Turkish cooperation is already evident on the ground: the modernization project of Leopard 2A4 tanks in Chile was entrusted to the Turkish company Aselsan, and a joint development of a geostationary satellite is underway with Argentina. Also, initial purchases were made by Colombia and Ecuador of armored vehicles and mortar systems.