Turkey’s defence industry recorded a sharp rise in output and exports in 2025, with overseas sales reaching a record $8.5 billion, as major weapons platforms entered service and new contracts were signed with foreign buyers, government and industry data showed.
The sector’s total turnover exceeded $20 billion this year, while cumulative project volumes surpassed $100 billion, reflecting the industry’s rapid expansion over the past two decades, officials said. Employment in the sector has grown to about 100,000, making defence one of the fastest-growing segments of the Turkish economy.
Between 2000 and 2025, Turkey’s gross domestic product increased from $275 billion to about $1.6 trillion, while defence exports rose from roughly $200 million to multi-billion-dollar levels, according to official figures.
Turkey accounts for about 1.5% of global defence exports and has five companies ranked among the world’s 100 largest arms producers, data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) show. SIPRI ranks Turkey as the world’s 12th-largest defence industry supplier, with Ankara aiming to enter the top 10 in coming years.
During the 2020–2025 period, Turkey exported defence products worth $30.7 billion, with 2025 marking an all-time high. Turkish-made systems have been sold to customers across Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa, including Romania, Indonesia, Poland, Brazil and the Philippines.
Major contracts and deliveries in 2025 included an agreement with Indonesia for 48 Kaan fighter jets, the induction of the Altay main battle tank into the Turkish Armed Forces, and the export of the Hürjet training aircraft to Spain. Turkey also exported a domestically developed jet engine for the first time, delivering it to Brazil.
Naval projects advanced during the year, with nearly 40 warships under construction for the Turkish navy and foreign customers, including Romania, Malaysia and Pakistan, under the MILGEM programme. Production also began on a larger version of the TCG Anadolu amphibious assault ship.
SIPRI data show that Aselsan ranked as the world’s 47th-largest defence company in 2025, with revenues of $3.47 billion. Other major Turkish defence firms include Baykar, Roketsan, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and MKE.
Defence-related services exports, including maintenance, training and modernisation, are estimated to have reached $530 million this year, bringing total defence goods and services exports above $9 billion, industry officials said.
Turkey’s defence industry is also the largest recipient of national research and development funding, with R&D spending playing a central role in expanding advanced capabilities across aerospace, naval systems, electronics and unmanned platforms.
Officials say the sector’s continued growth is expected to support Turkey’s broader industrial base and strengthen its position as a major defence supplier in NATO and emerging markets.