Türkiye’s defense and aerospace industry made $423 million worth of exports in August, official data showed on Monday, maintaining an upward course that could see it reach a fresh all-time high in sales by the end of the year.
The sector’s outbound shipments rose 12.6% compared to a year ago, Haluk Görgün, the head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), said on social media platform X.
“Our defense and aerospace exports rose by 9.8% in the first eight months compared to the same period last year, amounting to $3.738 billion,” said Görgün.
“Over the past year, our exports have grown by 13.4% annually.”
Driven by combat drones, Türkiye’s defense exports reached a record $5.5 billion in 2023, renewing the peak of $4.4 billion in 2022.
That figure is estimated to approach $7 billion by the end of 2024, according to officials.
Görgün emphasized that the primary goal of the national defense industry’s strategy is to achieve a lasting upward trend in the export of high-value-added products.
“Our companies are not limited to a specific region; they can export to almost the entire world. In 2024, our companies exported products to 171 different countries. This is another key target we have successfully reached,” he said.
Türkiye’s defense industry has undergone a profound transformation over the last two decades, in a breakthrough that has been spurred by a score of Western embargoes.
The transformation aimed at reducing external dependency on Western arms through innovative engineering initiatives and domestically developed technologies and ensuring self-sufficiency.
The drive prompted the development of a range of homegrown air, land and marine platforms, which eventually helped Türkiye seal billions of dollars worth of export deals in recent years.
The localization drive helped lower Türkiye’s foreign dependency in the defense industry from around 80% in the early 2000s to some 20% today.
