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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday said shifting global power dynamics have left Türkiye with no choice but to strengthen its defense capabilities, highlighting the country’s growing domestic production that has helped it significantly reduce external dependence.
“We are compelled to strengthen our defense, and the path to this lies through domestic production,” Erdoğan said at the opening of the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) 2025 in Istanbul.
IDEF, one of the world’s largest defense exhibitions, showcases what the president said was not only the development of the Turkish defense industry, “but also a nation’s march toward independence.”
Nearly 1,000 domestic and more than 400 international companies will use the six-day fair to display their products in the fields of land, air, sea, space and cybersecurity.
The event is set to host around 220 delegations from 99 countries and international organizations, with more than 120,000 visitors expected by Sunday.
Emphasizing Türkiye’s openness to cooperation, Erdoğan underlined the importance of long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships.
“The issue is not just about making purchases,” he said. “What truly matters is establishing lasting collaborations built on a win-win foundation,” he noted.
“As Türkiye, we are ready for this and open to multifaceted cooperation.”
Erdoğan added that the world is witnessing a period in which “power balances are being redefined, global centers of gravity are shifting and international competition is intensifying.”
Türkiye, he said, has overcome “embargoes, double standards, and diplomatic pressures” to become a global actor, leaving its mark on international markets with its burgeoning defense industry.
“We said we would take matters into our own hands, and by mobilizing our own resources, we’ve made significant strides in this field in a short time.”
Defense leap
The breakthrough Türkiye has achieved in defense has been spurred by a score of Western embargoes in the past.
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 raise the domestic share in the defense industry to over 80%, up from just 20% in the early 2000s.
“We’ve ushered in a new era for the Turkish defense industry,” Erdoğan said. “We have largely overcome our core issue of foreign dependency.”
The sector now generates over $20 billion in revenues and is managing 1,380 active projects. More than 3,500 firms operate in the industry, employing a qualified workforce of 100,000.
According to Erdoğan, Türkiye now meets nearly all of its security forces’ needs through domestic resources.
“Our domestic products play an active role in counterterrorism operations and in our domestic and international military campaigns,” he added.
IDEF’s land systems section includes main battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, electronic warfare systems, tactical ballistic missiles, air defense platforms and unmanned ground vehicles.
Air systems on display include fixed-wing aircraft, air defense systems, satellites, drones and aircraft engines, while the naval section features combat and support ships, unmanned surface and underwater vehicles and integrated command-and-control systems.
Record exports
Türkiye’s defense and aerospace exports reached a record $7.15 billion last year, a nearly 30% increase from the previous year and surpassing the government’s $6.5 billion target.
“Today, Türkiye has become the world’s 11th largest defense exporter,” said Erdoğan.
“Today, Türkiye ranks as the world’s 11th largest defense exporter,” Erdoğan said. “Our unmanned aerial vehicles, national ship projects, electronic systems, land vehicles, weapons and ammunition are all being followed and demanded with admiration.”
In June alone, industry exports rose 10.4% year-over-year to $623 million. Over the past 12 months, total shipments surged 23.1% to $7.5 billion.
“With the right strategies in fields such as laser and electromagnetic weapon systems, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, quantum technology and artificial intelligence, we hope to further enhance our competitiveness in the near future.”
Türkiye’s ascent in the defense industry has been led by its drone programs, spearheaded by Baykar and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).
Erdoğan noted that Türkiye now ranks among the top three countries in the world in unmanned aerial vehicle and unmanned combat aerial vehicle technology.
“Last year, Turkish firms supplied 65 of every 100 UAVs sold globally,” he said. “Our UCAVs’ game-changing concept is making a global impact. They are transforming conventional tactics and strategies.”
Türkiye is also among the world’s 10 nations capable of designing, developing, and producing its own warships, Erdoğan added.
