Turkey will construct a factory for the production of ammunition for small arms in Mongolia. Additionally, the Mongolian Ministry of Defense seeks Turkey's assistance in establishing a factory for various types of drones on its territory.
Moreover, since 2016, Turkey has committed to training military personnel and officers of the Mongolian armed forces at its military educational institutions. This information is reported by the Mongolian portal Live.tv.
From Defense Express, we want to emphasize that the outlined configuration of military-technical cooperation between Turkey and Mongolia represents one of the most unusual military alliances in the world.
It's not just about the geographical distance between Turkey and Mongolia, nor the fact that Mongolia is landlocked, bordered by China and Russia, which are unlikely to desire full independence for the Mongolians.
It seems that Turkey's intention to cooperate with Mongolia is driven by its geopolitical project of "Greater Turan," which also encompasses parts of Asia. Therefore, in this case, the financial indicators for the construction of the ammunition factory in Mongolia and the actual production metrics at the future facility will likely take a back seat to the primary importance of geopolitical influence.
In this case, the logistics factor will also play a significant role in the story of building the ammunition factory with Turkey's involvement in distant Mongolia. It is equally probable that the Turkish side may need to transport equipment by air freight for the future factory in Mongolia, or that they may find a way to transit equipment via sea and land transport through China.
It is also worth mentioning that in November 2023, it became known that Mongolia will receive JLTV tactical armored vehicles as military aid from the USA.
According to The Military Balance 2024, with a total GDP of $19.6 billion in 2024, Mongolia has budgeted $152 million for defense spending.
The ground forces consist of 5.6 thousand active-duty soldiers plus 3,600 reservists, equipped with 370 T-54 and T-55 tanks, and 50 T-72A tanks, along with 120 BRDM-2 and 310 BMP-1. Additionally, there are 150 BTR-60 units, 40 BTR-70M, and 20 BTR-80, 200 D-44/48 and MT-12 guns, and 570 artillery systems, of which 130 are BM-21 type multiple rocket launchers, and two S-125 type air defense systems.
The air component includes six MiG-29UB aircraft, two An-24 aircraft, and one An-26, along with 10 Mi-8 and two Mi-171 helicopters. The anti-aircraft artillery consists of 150 units of ZPU-4, ZU-23-2, and S-60.
