No single Senegal Turkey defence deal has been publicly documented in the sources reviewed for this article. What the open record does show is a series of smaller Turkish transfers to Senegal’s armed forces and gendarmerie since 2019, a training relationship, and a wider change in where Dakar buys its equipment. This report separates what has been delivered, what has only been filmed or reported, and what remains unannounced at the time of writing.
Senegal Turkey Defence Deal: Key Facts at a Glance
- No signed contract, framework agreement or contract value for a Senegal-Türkiye defence package appears in the government, manufacturer or defence-press sources reviewed.
- Four Turkish-origin items are documented: ASELSAN radio remote units (2019), MKE KNT-76 sniper rifles (2020), Otokar Cobra II vehicles (2022) and Nurol Makina Ejder Yalçın vehicles (2023).
- Quantities and prices are undisclosed for the vehicles and the rifles.
- Training of Senegalese personnel in Türkiye was described in 2020 as the core of bilateral military cooperation.
- The Senegalese chief of defence staff, speaking through a representative at a Lagos exhibition, called for partnerships that deliver usable capability. He did not name Türkiye.
Why It Matters for West Africa
Senegal is a significant buyer. SIPRI’s latest arms transfer fact sheet puts it second in sub-Saharan Africa for 2021 to 2025 imports, with 8.8% of the subregional total, behind Nigeria at 16% and ahead of Mali at 8.0%. The same fact sheet ranks Türkiye third among suppliers to the subregion with 11%, after China at 22% and Russia at 12%.
The supply space is also changing. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced on 31 December 2024 that all foreign military bases in Senegal would close in 2025, according to an analysis republished by defenceWeb. DefenceTurk reported on 18 July 2025 that France had handed back its last bases after 65 years.
Turkish firms are active across the region. About 30 Turkish companies, including Aselsan and Otokar, exhibited at the BAMEX show in Bamako in November 2025, and soldiers from Mali and Niger completed special forces training in Isparta in June. For the supplier picture across the continent, see this site’s guide to arms suppliers to Africa.
Who Is Involved: Governments, Forces and Companies
On the Senegalese side the users are the Armed Forces, the National Gendarmerie and, according to one report, special forces. On the Turkish side the named companies are Otokar, Nurol Makina, the state-owned MKE and ASELSAN. The optics on the KNT-76 rifles come from 3E-EOS.
The 2019 ASELSAN sale went through a third party. The company supplied five remote control units for its MXF-type airborne radios to Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), which ordered them for the KT-1 basic trainers it was building for Senegal. DefenceTurk described it as ASELSAN’s first export of a military product to Senegal. A profile of the company is in this site’s ASELSAN company profile.
Training is the other strand. DefenceTurk quoted a 2020 interview with Senegal’s military attaché, Colonel Babacar Seck, who said cooperation rests mainly on Turkish programmes for Senegalese personnel. These run at the Peace Partnership Training Center, the Counter-Terrorism Center of Excellence, military academies and the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard commands. He also said Senegal has provided French-language training to Turkish officers since 2019.
Equipment, Numbers and What Is Confirmed
The table lists every Turkish-origin item found in the sources. The status column uses the wording of the reports, and none of the entries comes with an official purchase announcement.
| Item | Maker | User | Reported | Quantity and status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MXF airborne radio remote units | ASELSAN | Senegalese Air Force trainers, via KAI | May 2019 | Five units; delivery reported completed in March 2019 |
| KNT-76 sniper rifle | MKE | Armed Forces | December 2020 | Delivery ceremony reported; number not disclosed |
| Cobra II 4×4 | Otokar | Reported as special forces or gendarmerie | December 2022 | Seen on video; number and contract not disclosed |
| Cobra II and Ejder Yalçın 4×4 | Otokar, Nurol Makina | National Gendarmerie | November 2023 | Filmed at the opening of the gendarmerie headquarters in Dakar; number not disclosed |
The 2022 report relied on footage posted by a social media user, and its text gives two possible units. Reports from December 2022 and November 2023 therefore need different labels: the first is an unconfirmed export sighting, and the second is a vehicle type seen in a ceremony. Neither gives a delivery schedule.
No Turkish aircraft, drones or warships appear in the sources reviewed. A public inventory table for the Senegalese Air Force, compiled from FlightGlobal data, lists none. For Turkish drone operators elsewhere on the continent, see this site’s guide to African operators of the Anka and Aksungur.
How Senegal’s Wider Procurement Looks
Turkish items are a small part of a mixed picture. Senegal’s recent purchases come from Israel, France, Germany, China and, in one reported case, South Korea. This site’s list of Senegalese Army weapons and equipment covers the older inventory.
| Supplier | Item | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Israel Shipyards | Two 24 m landing craft, Yoff and Fadioth | Arrived in July 2024; a EUR 10.7 million contract for two craft was reported in March 2022 |
| Piriou (France) | Three OPV 58S patrol vessels: Walo, Niani, Cayor | Delivered between August 2023 and April 2024 |
| Daimler Truck (Germany) | Mercedes-Benz trucks assembled from kits, including for the Ministry of Defence | Letter of intent announced on 1 July 2025; first customer deliveries expected the following year |
| KAI (South Korea) | Four FA-50 light attack aircraft | Reported in February 2024 at about USD 147 million; unconfirmed and not signed according to DefenceTurk |
| China | VN22 6×6 armoured vehicles | Undisclosed number, as reported by DefenceTurk in 2023 |
The pattern is consistent. Senegal buys different classes of equipment from different countries, and the best-documented larger items are naval vessels from Israel and France.
Reactions and Regional Implications
No statement from Dakar or Ankara describing a Senegal Turkey defence deal has been located. The nearest official signal came at the inaugural Afridex exhibition in Lagos. Brigadier General Latif Kamara, speaking for the chief of the general staff, Vice Admiral Oumar Wade, said partnerships must move beyond donated equipment and training packages to cooperation measured by operational impact, as defenceWeb reported. The article names no platforms and no agreements.
That position matches the way Turkish industry is now marketing in the region. ASELSAN said it would use Afridex to build on its African presence through local partnerships, and STM showed naval platforms and tactical UAVs there. MKE has set up its first African subsidiary in Egypt, and Havelsan signed a memorandum with Nigeria’s DICON on possible technology cooperation.
The Daimler project shows what local assembly looks like in Senegal. It combines kit assembly with a joint venture between the government and Global Truck Systems, which is closer to the sustainability language used in Lagos than to a direct purchase.
What to Watch Next
The following signals would turn a pattern of small transfers into a confirmed Senegal Turkey defence deal. At the time of writing none has been reported.
- An announcement from Senegal’s Ministry of the Armed Forces, Türkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries or a manufacturer naming Senegal as a customer.
- Quantities and contract values for the Cobra II and Ejder Yalçın vehicles.
- Any maintenance, assembly or local production arrangement tied to Turkish firms.
- A decision on the reported FA-50 purchase, which would show whether Dakar favours Asian or Turkish aircraft suppliers.
- Follow-up contacts after Afridex, including training agreements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Senegal signed a defence deal with Türkiye?
No signed package has been publicly documented in the sources reviewed. The record shows separate transfers, such as KNT-76 rifles, Cobra II and Ejder Yalçın vehicles and ASELSAN radio units, plus training cooperation. None comes with a published contract value, schedule or framework agreement.
What Turkish equipment does Senegal use?
Reports document Otokar Cobra II and Nurol Ejder Yalçın armoured vehicles, mainly with the National Gendarmerie, MKE KNT-76 sniper rifles and ASELSAN radio remote units. The numbers of vehicles and rifles are undisclosed, so no fleet size can be stated.
Is Senegal buying Turkish drones or aircraft?
None of the sources reviewed reports a Turkish drone, aircraft or ship purchase by Senegal. The only reported fighter-type deal is for the South Korean FA-50, and DefenceTurk describes it as unconfirmed claims, not a signed contract.
What happened to French bases in Senegal?
President Faye announced on 31 December 2024 that foreign bases would close in 2025. DefenceTurk reported on 18 July 2025 that France had handed back its last bases. The closure widened Senegal’s room to diversify suppliers.
Sources
- DefenceTurk: Cobra II and Ejder Yalçın seen in Senegal (9 November 2023)
- DefenceTurk: Cobra II armoured vehicles exported to Senegal (6 December 2022)
- DefenceTurk: ASELSAN’s first export to Senegal (13 May 2019)
- DefenceTurk: Senegal to acquire FA-50 light attack aircraft (2 February 2024)
- DefenceTurk: Senegal coverage index, including the KNT-76 delivery and the end of the French presence
- defenceWeb: Senegal calls for action-oriented African defence partnerships at Afridex
- defenceWeb: Senegal takes delivery of two landing craft from Israel (29 July 2024)
- defenceWeb: Daimler Truck to assemble vehicles in Senegal (2 July 2025)
- defenceWeb: What France loses by closing its military bases in Africa (24 March 2025)
- defenceWeb: Analysis, the Turkish defence model in Africa (29 July 2026)
- SIPRI: Trends in international arms transfers