Turkey’s defense and aviation exports surged to $10 billion in 2025, marking a 48 percent increase compared to $7.1 billion recorded in 2024. According to Haluk Görgün, head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), exports in December alone exceeded $2.5 billion, underscoring the strong momentum gained by Ankara’s defense sector throughout the year.
Of the total exports, $9.8 billion came from defense goods, while services accounted for $184 million, representing roughly 3.7 percent of Turkey’s overall exports. Görgün highlighted several high-profile international contracts, including naval vessel sales to Portugal and Romania, Hürjet advanced jet trainers to Spain, and the export of the Kaan next-generation fighter program to Indonesia, reflecting Turkey’s expanding footprint across air, land, and naval domains.
Europe, NATO member states, and the United States emerged as Turkey’s largest markets, collectively absorbing $5.6 billion, or 56 percent, of total defense exports. Additional growth was recorded in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and African regions, as Turkey continues to diversify its customer base while reducing dependence on foreign defense technologies through sustained domestic investment.
Alongside export growth, Ankara is accelerating indigenous development programs. Recently, state-owned Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi (MKE) unveiled the 130mm BALKIN missile, designed to counter radar-guided threats by deploying a dense, radar-reflective particle cloud to protect naval platforms. Turkey is also progressing with construction of its first domestically developed submarine at the Gölcük Shipyard and advancing the Steel Dome multilayered air defense system, a $6.5 billion initiative comparable to Israel’s Iron Dome, leveraging artificial intelligence to counter aerial and missile threats across multiple ranges.
