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Türkiye’s defense industry exports will exceed $8 billion “easily” in 2025, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said on Friday, which would mark a new record in shipments that have more than tripled over just four years.
Bolat’s remarks came at the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) 2025 in Istanbul, which described as one of the most prestigious and impressive fairs in Türkiye’s history that has now become a global brand.
He said it represents the level of development Türkiye has achieved in the defense industry.
Past restrictions and embargoes have prompted Türkiye to develop a range of homegrown air, land and marine platforms, which eventually helped it 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.
Türkiye’s defense and aerospace exports reached a record of nearly $7.2 billion last year, a nearly 30% increase from the previous year. The figure more than tripled compared to $2.28 billion in 2020.
“We continue to progress each year with increasing momentum,” said Bolat. “In the first six months of this year alone, we have already exceeded $3.5 billion, and sales are accelerating in the second half and toward the final quarter.”
“God willing, we will comfortably surpass $8 billion this year. The defense industry is making a major contribution to Türkiye’s export success,” said the minister.
Contribution to economy
Bolat said the defense industry, through the ecosystem it has established, adds significant value to the overall industry.
More than 3,500 firms operate in the industry, employing a qualified workforce of 100,000.
“We are talking about an annual production figure of $20 billion in the defense industry, and we have a strong defense industry exporting to over a hundred countries worldwide,” said the minister.
He pointed out that the defense industry will develop further, emphasizing that Türkiye is now among the strongest defense industrial countries in the Eurasian region.
“Countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and even Europe, including South America, use Turkish defense industry products,” Bolat noted.
Bolat underlined that this is not merely an economic activity or a foreign currency-earning export effort.
“While it is extremely important from an economic and export perspective, the defense industry is also the guarantor of our independence. In recent years, we have witnessed intense wars, battles, and conflicts in the north, south, east and west of us. Amidst all that, Türkiye continues to develop like a pillar of stability, an island of peace,” he noted.
He attributed that to what he described as “strong army, strong economy, strong defense industry, strong leadership, and strong governance.”
“When you falter or face internal strife and unrest, progress halts and unfortunately, regression begins. For the past 20 years, Türkiye has been steadily advancing and developing, maintaining its rise and shining like a star in the Eurasian region,” Bolat added.
