Türkiye’s defense and aerospace exports surged 39% in the first nine months of this year, while annulized shipments reached a new record high, official data showed.
The exports amounted to more than $574 million (TL 23.93 billion) in September alone, a 1.4% increase from a year ago, lifting the year-to-date figure to $6 billion, according to the preliminary trade figures by the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TIM).
The industry reached an all-time high of $7.2 billion last year. The figure more than tripled compared to $2.28 billion in 2020.
The annualized exports exceeded $8.4 billion as of September, a new record high that marks a 40% year-over-year increase, the TIM data showed.
Officials earlier said shipments would “easily” exceed $8 billion by the end of 2025.
“This rise, achieved thanks to the will and strong support of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is not just a numerical success; it is also the global manifestation of Turkish engineering, our domestic production ecosystem, and our strategic vision,” Haluk Görgün, head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), said.
Görgün emphasized that Türkiye’s industrialization policies, engineering-focused production and sustainability approach ensure that every platform it develops is a reliable system not only for today but also for the future.
“This vision makes our defense and aerospace industry a global player,” he wrote on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.
Years of investments have helped Türkiye transform from a nation heavily reliant on equipment from abroad to one where homegrown systems meet almost all of its defense industry needs.
For years, Ankara has voiced frustrations over its Western allies’ failure to provide adequate defense against missile threats despite Türkiye being a NATO member.
The transformation over the last 20 years has prompted the development of a range of homegrown air, land and marine platforms, eventually helping lower Türkiye’s foreign dependency on defense from around 80% in the early 2000s to below 20% today.
The capabilities of its defense platforms, led by its combat drones, helped it seal billions of dollars’ worth of export deals in recent years.
More than 3,500 firms operate in the industry, employing a qualified workforce of 100,000.
Highlighting that Türkiye’s international cooperation activities, the joint projects it develops and the solutions it offers to the country’s vast hinterland make Türkiye a reliable global solution partner, Görgün said these strong ties with friendly and allied nations contribute to peace and stability, while also boosting Türkiye’s export performance to new heights.
“We will continue to work diligently for a stronger Türkiye in global competition with our unique solutions in critical technologies,” he added.
Source: Daiiy Sabah
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