According to the President of Turkey’s Defense Industry Agency, Haluk Gorgun, the Turkish defense sector recorded another remarkable year in defense exports, achieving a 29% growth in 2024 and reaching a total of $7.15 billion.

This marks yet another milestone for Ankara’s defense and aerospace exports, which had already reached $5.5 billion (TL 163.8 billion) in 2023—an increase of 27.1% from 2022. During his announcement, President Gorgun emphasized the importance of fostering a vision of independence in these strategically critical sectors. He highlighted that Turkey’s defense industry is strengthening partnerships with allies and positioning itself as a “groundbreaking ecosystem in technology exports for the future.”

A key factor behind Turkey’s success has been the sanctions and embargoes imposed by certain Western nations, which have inadvertently accelerated the country's push for self-sufficiency in defense production—surpassing even the most optimistic initial forecasts. Throughout 2024, several Turkish defense companies achieved unprecedented results.

Aselsan recorded the highest exports in its history, followed by Turkish Aerospace Industries, ASFAT, armored vehicle manufacturer MKE, and ARCA. Meanwhile, Baykar reaffirmed its dominance with nearly $2 billion in export revenues, further solidifying its success with high-profile deals, including an agreement with Rabat that will see the establishment of a production facility in Morocco.

According to President Gorgun, these impressive figures allow Turkey to “generate much-needed foreign currency revenues to offset budget deficits, service foreign debt, and reinvest in research and development.”

This positive trend is expected to sustain the growth of Turkey’s defense sector well into the next decade. Currently, Turkey exports more than 230 defense industry products to approximately 170 countries, continuously strengthening its market presence and attracting new customers each year.

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