Türkiye is setting more ambitious targets for defense and aerospace exports after recording the world’s highest export growth rates over the past decade and sharply improving export efficiency, according to a senior official.
Haluk Görgün, head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), said Türkiye has emerged as a key global player in defense and aerospace as escalating wars, proxy conflicts, and hybrid threats reshape the international security landscape.
Speaking at the fifth Defense and Aerospace Industry Global Strategies Conference in Antalya, Görgün said the country’s push to build a fully independent defense industry is bringing it closer to its goal of ranking among the world’s top 10 defense exporters.
In 2025, Türkiye’s defense and aerospace exports reached $10.54 billion, marking a 48% increase from the previous year, Görgün said. The sector accounted for 3.6% of Türkiye’s total exports, up from 1.7% in 2022.
Europe emerged as the largest market, with $4.3 billion in exports, followed by the Middle East at $1.6 billion, while the United States, the United Kingdom, and Slovakia were among the leading individual destinations.
Görgün said the SSB carried out 485 international activities in 2025, including 401 bilateral meetings with representatives from 94 countries, participation in 22 global events, and multiple multinational engagements.
The agency also accompanied President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on seven overseas visits. These efforts, he said, helped deepen defense cooperation with NATO countries while expanding Türkiye’s footprint in eastern markets.
He added that Türkiye implemented a broad export package in late 2025 in coordination with the Syrian Defense Ministry to help meet security needs following improved stability after years of conflict. Görgün said Turkish defense products have gained visibility across a wide range of markets, contributing to stronger international partnerships.
According to Görgün, Türkiye has recorded the highest increase in exports globally over the last decade compared with the preceding ten years. For the first time, the SSB also collected data on service exports in 2025, which totaled $184 million.
He said the growing gap between exports and imports in the sector reflects reduced reliance on foreign suppliers and has contributed positively to the country’s foreign exchange balance.
Defense and aerospace exports were made from 58 Turkish provinces in 2025, while the number of provinces exporting at least $1 million rose to 26 from 21 a year earlier. The sector also signed new contracts worth $17.9 billion, a 79% year-on-year increase. Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas stood out as the main export regions.
Görgün said the SSB will roll out a new sales model focused on government-to-government military sales, following the establishment of the necessary regulatory and institutional framework last year. The model is expected to offer more flexible cooperation structures to foreign partners.
Export efficiency has also improved significantly. Görgün said average export turnover per capita in the sector rose from $45,000 in 2021 to $100,000 in 2025, though he noted that leading global firms can reach levels of $300,000.
Some Turkish companies have already surpassed international benchmarks, including ammunition producer ARCA Defense, which recorded export turnover of $750,000 per employee, the highest in the sector.
Görgün stressed the importance of close coordination between the SSB and industry players in overseas business development and sales, adding that the agency will continue to closely monitor and support small and medium-sized enterprises operating with limited resources in the highly competitive global defense market.
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