ANKARA — Turkey’s defense industry exports reached an important milestone last year, exceeding $7.1 billion, the head of Turkey’s Defense Industries Agency (SSB) announced on Friday.
“In 2024, exports of our defense and aviation industry, including NATO and services exports, increased by 29% to $7.154 billion, setting a new record,” SSB Chairman Haluk Gorgun wrote in X .
This figure exceeded Türkiye’s 2024 defense export target of $6.5 billion.
Gorgun also noted that Turkey exports defense products to 180 countries, but did not provide further details.
Turkey is poised to further expand its defense exports. Export deals totaling $4.6 billion were signed at a major international arms show held in October.
Spain, Turkey’s NATO ally, has agreed to purchase 24 Fulljet jet trainers manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS), based on a memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries in December.
In the same month, Türkiye’s state-run Defense Technology and Engineering Corporation signed a contract with the Portuguese Navy to build two supply ships.
The agreement marked Turkey’s first export of manned jets and warships to Turkey’s NATO allies.
According to data from the Directorate General of Defense Industry of the Turkish President’s Office, Turkey’s defense exports reached $5.5 billion in 2023.
Turkey’s major defense exporters include TUSAS and Aselsan, the country’s top defense electronics company, as well as Baikal, which is owned by the family of Selcuk Bayraktar, the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the combined revenue of these three companies, including exports, exceeded $6 billion in 2024.
As Turkey’s presence in the European defense market grows, Baikal made headlines in late December with its acquisition of Italian airline Piaggio Aerospace.
“Baikal, the world’s largest UCAV company, has outperformed rivals from several countries in the competitive bid for the sale of Piaggio Aerospace,” the company said in a statement.
