Turkish defense, aerospace exports rise 14.4 percent to $1.12 billion in July

ISTANBUL 

Türkiye’s defense and aerospace industry exports rose 14.4 percent year-on-year to $1.12 billion in July, the head of the country’s Defense Industries Secretariat said.

The sector maintained its steady growth in overseas sales, with exports reaching $5.79 billion in the January-July period, an increase of 26.2 percent from a year earlier, Haluk Görgün said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

The industry’s exports over the past 12 months climbed to $11.2 billion, Görgün said.

Türkiye’s defense and aerospace exports reached a record $10.5 billion in 2025, rising about 48 percent year-on-year.

The industry has expanded its international presence in recent years through exports of unmanned aerial vehicles, armored vehicles, naval platforms, weapons systems, ammunition, missiles, radars and electronic warfare technologies.

The country has also sought to reduce its dependence on foreign suppliers by developing domestically designed platforms and increasing local production across the defense and aerospace supply chain.

Görgün said Türkiye continues to strengthen its engineering capabilities, production capacity, and global competitiveness under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“The growing figures in exports are backed by the collective efforts of our defense industry ecosystem,” he said. “These figures represent the global value of Türkiye’s engineering strength.”

The automotive industry remained the leading export sector in July, recording exports worth $3.59 billion.

Among the sectors with the highest export volumes, chemicals and chemical products ranked second with $3.04 billion, while the electrical and electronics industry placed third with $1.8 billion in exports.

In July, the sector that achieved the highest export growth rate was fresh fruits and vegetables, with an increase of 144.1 percent.