Türkiye’s defense giants dominate ISO 500 export rankings

ARCA Defense ranked fifth among all Turkish enterprises in the ISO 500 export listings with $2.9 billion in overseas sales, representing nearly half of the $6.7 billion total posted by the 11 defense firms included in the Istanbul Chamber of Industry survey. The ammunition producer placed 12th in net sales from production with approximately $2.5 billion, having secured the export champion title last year while maintaining its focus on fulfilling Turkish Armed Forces requirements.

Major contractors secure top 30 berths

Turkish Aerospace Industries ranked 14th in general exports with over $1 billion in sales while leading the defense sector in net production sales at $3 billion, according to the report. Land vehicle manufacturer Otokar placed 17th with $891.5 million in overseas deliveries, followed by missile producer Roketsan at 22nd with $733.5 million and electronics giant Aselsan in 29th position with $492 million.

Mid-tier firms complete rankings

Mid-tier defense specialists also featured prominently, with Alp Aviation placing 124th with $187.6 million in parts exports and Nurol Makina ranking 139th with $171.7 million in military vehicle sales. Weapons systems manufacturer Samsun Yurt Savunma Sanayii ranked 192nd with $123.8 million, while state-controlled MKE placed 243rd with $85.5 million, software firm Havelsan ranked 258th with $78.8 million, and BMC Otomotiv placed 290th with $58.8 million.

Sector resilience across ecosystem

The export performance demonstrated the sector's resilience across a broad industrial ecosystem ranging from prime contractors to land vehicle makers. The results reinforce Türkiye's growing influence in global defense markets alongside expanding domestic production capacity.