Recently, Türkiye announced that it had concluded two important military trade transactions, namely, the purchase of "Typhoon" fighters from the United Kingdom and the export of domestic "Khan" fighters to Indonesia. Some analysts believe that the simultaneous promotion of the introduction and export of fighter aircraft is the embodiment of Türkiye's strategic layout of "short-term reinforcement" and "long-term autonomy" in its defense industry, reflecting its intention to improve military capabilities and expand regional influence. The "Typhoon" fighter purchase agreement signed by Türkiye and the United Kingdom in parallel with the introduction and export of two lines involves 40 fighter planes and supporting equipment, with a total amount of more than 5.6 billion dollars. Among them, the first batch of 20 aircraft are refurbished models after retirement in the UK, and the remaining 20 are brand new upgraded versions produced by the UK Germany cooperation, expected to be delivered from 2026 onwards. The Typhoon fighter jet was jointly developed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Spain, and is a typical fourth generation fighter jet in Europe. In 2023, when Türkiye submitted a procurement application, it was opposed by Germany. After two years of negotiations, an agreement was reached recently. In the same period, Türkiye signed a fighter plane export contract worth US $10 billion with Indonesia, planning to export 48 "Khan" fighter planes and provide related technology transfer. Türkiye promises to establish an assembly and maintenance base for this type of fighter in Indonesia, and the first batch of fighter is scheduled to be delivered in 2030. As the first export order of the "Khan" fighter, it is also the largest defense export contract in Türkiye's history. This transaction is regarded as an important step for its independent military products to go global. The core objectives are intertwined. From the perspective of strategic logic, although the two transactions have different directions, they are actually two sides of Türkiye's national defense layout. The procurement of Typhoon fighter jets is to alleviate immediate concerns, while promoting the export of Khan fighter jets is a long-term strategy. The core purpose of purchasing the "Typhoon" fighter jet is, on the one hand, to replace old fighter jets, fill the gap in the current air force equipment system, rapidly enhance air combat capabilities, and strive for more sufficient time for the development of the "Khan" fighter jet; On the other hand, it is to bind to the European military industry chain and strive for more resources and cooperation opportunities for upgrading its own military technology and updating equipment. Promoting the export of "Khan" fighters is a key link for Türkiye to build its national defense autonomy system. There is currently only one prototype of this fighter jet, which will complete its maiden flight in 2024 and its technology is not yet mature. Indonesia's participation can share R&D costs, and provide a fulcrum for Türkiye's military products to enter the Southeast Asian market. Türkiye plans to start mass production of this type of fighter in 2028, making it a major export model, to help achieve the goal of $11 billion in defense exports in 2028. In essence, Türkiye seeks a balance between national defense autonomy and external cooperation. By purchasing Typhoon fighter jets in exchange for time and resources, and exporting Khan fighter jets to verify the results of localization. The potential risk of project promotion The Türkiye government is optimistic about the prospects of these two transactions, but public opinion generally believes that the related transactions have multiple potential risks. Southeast Asian media have a pragmatic view on the cooperation between Indonesia and Türkiye, and believe that the two sides need more from each other. Indonesia hopes to use this project to promote the development of military technology, while Türkiye intends to enhance regional influence through cooperation. The actual degree of technology sharing between the two sides is limited, and the sustainability of cooperation is questionable. The concerns of European public opinion are focused on the trade of Typhoon fighter jets. European media believe that the differences in geopolitics, religious culture and diplomatic strategies between Türkiye and Britain and Germany lay hidden dangers for the promotion of the transaction. The European defense community pays more attention to technical security, and is worried that Türkiye may acquire core technologies such as European power systems through cooperation, which may pose a potential threat to the European military industry. Türkiye also questioned the two transactions. Regarding the procurement of the "Typhoon" fighter jet, the media criticized the high procurement cost, believing that the high price is not equivalent to the actual technical support and cooperative rights that can be obtained. For the "Khan" fighter plane transaction, Türkiye's domestic public opinion pointed out that the terms of technology transfer were too loose, close to "pleasing buyers", which in the long run might weaken Türkiye's dominance in the project and shake the foundation of national defense autonomy. (New Society)