Turkey has recently escalated its rhetoric against Greece, a close ally of India, in the wake of India’s successful neutralization of Turkish-made drones during a conflict with Pakistan. This development has significant implications for Ankara’s defence industry, regional alliances, and the ongoing information war in South Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean.

During the May 2025 conflict, Pakistan, with direct Turkish support, launched a massive drone offensive against India, deploying over 350 Turkish-made drones—including the Bayraktar-TB-2 and Asisguard Songar models—along with Turkish military advisors and operatives.

India’s air defences, leveraging both kinetic and electronic countermeasures, intercepted and destroyed a large number of these drones, exposing critical vulnerabilities in Turkish unmanned systems. This operational failure has dealt a severe blow to Turkey’s defence export ambitions, with the Bayraktar-TB-2, once celebrated for its performance in Ukraine and Azerbaijan—now facing potential order cancellations and reputational damage.

Turkey’s Media Propaganda Targeting Greece

In the aftermath, Turkish conservative media, notably TR Haber, has shifted focus to Greece, amplifying doubts about the effectiveness of the Rafale fighter jets recently acquired by Athens from France. Turkish outlets have circulated unsubstantiated claims—originating from Pakistani and Chinese sources—that India is dissatisfied with Rafale performance and refused a technical audit by Dassault Aviation. These reports lack credible sourcing and have not been corroborated by official Indian statements, indicating a coordinated propaganda effort to undermine confidence in French technology and sow discord between India, France, and Greece.

Turkey’s aggressive posture is rooted in several anxieties:

Loss of Defence Market Share: India’s effective countermeasures against Turkish drones have raised doubts about their battlefield reliability, threatening billions in export revenue for Ankara’s defence sector.

Greece’s Rafale Acquisition: Greece’s procurement of 24 Rafale jets from France has shifted the regional air power balance, making Turkey wary of a technologically superior Hellenic Air Force.

India-Greece Defence Ties: There are growing indications that India may deepen defence and economic cooperation with Greece, including potential investments in Greek aerospace and defence firms, further alarming Turkey.

Regional Dynamics And The Information War

Turkey’s current strategy appears twofold:

Discredit Rafale And France: By questioning the effectiveness of Rafale jets, Ankara seeks to weaken the India-France-Greece defence triangle and redirect potential buyers toward Turkish, American, or Russian alternatives.

Exploit The India-Pakistan Conflict: Turkish media leverages Pakistani claims—such as shooting down Indian aircraft—to intimidate Greece and justify its own military build-up, despite the lack of independent verification for these assertions.

India’s Calculated Response

India, for its part, is reportedly considering stronger support for Greece, including possible arms sales and investments in Greek defence industries. This would serve as a counterweight to Turkey’s alignment with Pakistan and its support for anti-India propaganda. India’s proven air defence systems and high-profile missile programs, such as the BrahMos, are now seen as potential assets for Greece and other Turkish rivals.

Conclusion

Turkey’s threats against Greece are closely linked to its recent setbacks in South Asia, particularly the exposure of its drone technology’s limitations by Indian forces. Ankara’s media campaign aims to undermine the credibility of French and Indian defence partnerships while deflecting attention from its own strategic losses. As India and Greece move toward closer cooperation, Turkey’s attempts at intimidation and disinformation are unlikely to reverse the shifting balance of power in the region.

Based On Zee News Report