Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar, and Indonesia signed an agreement on Wednesday to boost defence cooperation and strengthen defensive capabilities, the Turkish Defence Ministry said. In a statement, the ministry said the countries signed the "Badr Memorandum of Understanding" in Doha as a sign of their desire to further deepen cooperation and develop partnerships. "The agreement holds substantial economic importance," it said, adding the accord sought to foster cooperation in military production, boost military capabilities, and help collaboration in technical military training, research and development. "By leveraging the unique military production capabilities of each country, the initiative will facilitate cooperation and integration, enhance defence industrial capacities, and enable the fulfilment of the needs of allied and friendly nations," it added. Turkiye, which has NATO's second-largest army and a robust defence industry, has been helping Gulf nations, including Qatar, where it has a military base, bolster their defences amid the Iran war. In August, it signed a mutual defence pact with 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 defence industry. The ministry said the Badr accord would strengthen ties between the countries' defence industries and bolster collaboration to promote security and achieve shared objectives The memorandum will build on existing defence projects among the four countries, marking a new step in Turkiye's approach to multilateral cooperation. Efforts coordinated by the secretariat focus on moving beyond the supply of military platforms to joint production, technology transfer, interoperability, and the integration of supply chains. In a statement, the secretariat said defence industry partnerships pursued with the support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are among the strategic elements supporting Turkiye's foreign policy. It added that efforts focused on mass production and exports have gained momentum under Haluk Gorgun, the secretariat’s head. "Technology sharing, joint development and strengthening domestic production capabilities lie at the heart of sustainable defence industry. As Turkey, 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," Gorgun said in a statement. "We believe that the Badr Memorandum of Understanding will contribute to transforming the complementary capabilities ​of Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Turkey into concrete ‌projects," he added. Makkah Joint Defence Agreement On August 7, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye formalised their longstanding strategic relationship through the newly signed Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), a trilateral security framework that its proponents describe as a defensive arrangement aimed at strengthening collective deterrence, enhancing military cooperation and promoting regional stability. That agreement stated that “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both” and committed the two sides to strengthening defence cooperation and joint deterrence. The three countries already had extensive military links. Pakistan had provided training and technical assistance to Saudi forces for decades, while Islamabad and Ankara had maintained close defence ties through military training, naval cooperation and defence equipment. In 2023, Saudi Arabia agreed to purchase Turkish drones in what Ankara described as its largest defence export contract. Pakistan had also expanded its military and security cooperation with the kingdom, deploying about 8,000 troops, fighter jets, drones and an air-defence system to Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters. Pakistan deploys troops to Saudi air base under defence pact. Islamabad had also been pursuing wider security and economic ties in the Gulf, including negotiations with Kuwait on an expanded cooperation pact linked to energy and investment. Pakistan-Kuwait agree to boost cooperation across key sectors More than 55% of defence exports since 2012 took place in the last 4 years According to the Turkiye Defence and Aerospace Industry Exporters' Association, the defence and aerospace sector saw approximately $54 billion in exports from 2012 through the first nine months of 2026. More than $30 billion of that total took place in 2023-2026, meaning the last four years accounted for more than 55% of the sector's exports over the period. Read: Pakistan, Qatar review security cooperation, explore new areas of collaboration as Naqvi visits Doha Defence and aerospace exports rose 48% year-on-year in 2025 to top $10 billion, while exports over the latest 12-month period surpassed $11 billion for the first time. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Turkiye boosted its arms exports 122% over the last five years, becoming the world's 11th-largest arms supplier. NATO allies account for 56% of Turkiye's defence and aerospace exports. Joint production and technology transfer with Qatar Qatar, one of the parties to the planned memorandum, has a longstanding defence industry partnership with Turkiye. Bayraktar TB2 armed drones, armoured vehicles, and fast attack craft supplied to the Qatari Armed Forces are among the prominent examples of bilateral cooperation. Read more: Pakistan, Qatar agree to expand security partnership, strengthen internal security cooperation Barzan Holdings, a subsidiary of Qatar's Defence Ministry, has also signed cooperation agreements in previous years with Turkish defence companies including Aselsan, STM, and MKE. BARQ, a joint venture established in Qatar by Aselsan and Barzan Holdings, has begun local assembly, production, and calibration activities for SARP remote-controlled weapon systems and electro-optical equipment. Projects carried out by Turkish companies in Qatar also enable the provision of defence industry solutions to third countries. Corvette partnership with Pakistan, joint tank production with Indonesia The PN MILGEM Babur-class corvette project is a leading example of defence industry cooperation between Turkiye and Pakistan. Under the four-corvette project, led by main contractor Asfat, the first two vessels were built in Istanbul and the other two at Karachi Shipyard. The project modernised Karachi Shipyard's production infrastructure and transferred shipbuilding and outfitting engineering capabilities to the local workforce. It thus contributed to Pakistan's domestic production capacity alongside the supply of naval platforms. The KAPLAN MT medium-weight tank development project is a prominent example of Turkiye's defence industry cooperation with Indonesia. Also read: Turkiye submits Makkah defence pact to parliament for ratification, sources say Launched under an intergovernmental agreement between the secretariat and Indonesia's Defence Ministry, the KAPLAN MT was jointly designed and developed by Turkish defence company FNSS and Indonesia's PT Pindad. Prototypes and the first series-production tanks manufactured by FNSS were delivered to Indonesian users. Production is continuing at PT Pindad in Indonesia under a technology transfer arrangement.