Turkey recorded a sharp rise in defense and aviation exports in 2025, with overseas sales climbing to $10 billion, up 48 percent year-on-year from $7.1 billion in 2024, officials confirmed.
The surge was particularly pronounced at the end of the year, with December exports exceeding $2.5 billion. Defense goods accounted for $9.8 billion of the total, while services contributed $184 million, bringing the sector’s share of Turkey’s overall exports to 3.7 percent.
According to Presidency of Defense Industries head Haluk Görgün, major international contracts underpinned the growth. These included military ship exports to Portugal, Hürjet trainer aircraft sales to Spain, participation in the KAAN fighter program with Indonesia, and offshore patrol vessel deliveries to Romania.
European markets, NATO allies, and the United States represented the largest customer base, absorbing roughly $5.6 billion, or 56 percent, of total exports. Turkey also expanded its footprint across the Asia-Pacific, Middle Eastern, and African defense markets.
At the same time, Ankara is accelerating domestic defense development to strengthen technological independence. Recent milestones include the unveiling of the BALKIN 130mm missile by state-owned MKE, a system designed to disrupt radar-guided attacks by generating a highly reflective electromagnetic cloud to shield naval platforms.
Turkey has also launched construction of its first homegrown submarine at the Gölcük Shipyard Command and continues to advance the Steel Dome air defense initiative. Backed by approximately $6.5 billion in signed production contracts, the AI-enabled, multilayered system aims to intercept airborne and missile threats across a wide spectrum of ranges and altitudes.
