Defense industry’s exports continue strong growth

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s defense and aerospace industry is maintaining its upward momentum in exports, according to a statement by Haluk Görgün, the head of the Defense Industries Secretariat (SSB).

In July 2025, the sector achieved $989.6 million in exports, marking a 128.4 percent increase compared to the same month in 2024, Görgün said in a post on the national social media platform NeXT Sosyal.

Total exports from January to July rose by 38.6 percent, reaching $4.59 billion.

He emphasized that these figures reflect the success of sustainable production and export strategies, as well as the impact of diversified products, platform-based solutions and system-level export approaches.

Görgün also highlighted the importance of the country’s broad industrial structure, which spans from major contractors to SMEs, forming the backbone of the export ecosystem. He expressed gratitude to all companies and teams contributing to this success.

The local defense and aerospace sector has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past two decades, marking its emergence as a global player in military technology and innovation.

In 2002, the industry’s exports stood at a modest $248 million. By 2024, that figure had skyrocketed to $7.154 billion — an astonishing 29-fold increase.

The sector first crossed the $1 billion export threshold in the early 2010s, signaling a turning point in international demand for Turkish defense products.

The overall turnover of the defense and aerospace industry reached $15 billion by the end of 2024.

The number of active defense projects grew from just 62 in 2002 to over 1,100 in 2024 — a 17-fold increase.