Türkiye defense exports quadruple to $10B in five years

Sector hits $10B milestone

Türkiye's defense and aerospace industry reached a historic $10.016 billion in exports during 2025, surpassing the $10 billion threshold for the first time as the sector's share of the country's total exports nearly tripled over five years. The record annual figure was bolstered by an exceptional December performance that generated $2.571 billion in single-month sales, according to data released by the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TİM).

The industry's contribution to Türkiye's overall export portfolio rose from 1.5% in 2020 to 4.2% in 2025, reflecting the rapid expansion of domestically developed military vessels, missile systems, ammunition and first-person-view drones — products that have found increasing demand among allied nations seeking security solutions for crisis response and conventional defense operations.

Growth trajectory since 2020

The sector has posted consistent annual gains since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global supply chains in 2020, when exports stood at $2.279 billion. Figures climbed to $3.225 billion in 2021 as international trade recovered, then accelerated to $4.396 billion in 2022 and $5.546 billion in 2023 before reaching $6.735 billion last year.

The momentum has continued into 2026, with the industry recording $8.05 billion in exports during the first ten months of the year — representing a 20.2% increase compared to the same period in 2025. Large-scale contracts for air, land and naval platforms have sustained this growth trajectory even as the sector scaled past the $10 billion annual threshold.