Between 2000 and 2025, the Turkish economy underwent a major transformation. While the national income rose from $275 billion (TL 11.81 trillion) to $1.6 trillion, the defense industry became the fastest-growing sector. In 2000, the sector had a turnover of less than $1 billion and exports of around $200 million. By 2025, it had broken new records. This year, the defense industry’s turnover surpassed $20 billion, while exports approached the $8.5 billion mark. With a total project volume exceeding $100 billion and the number of employees reaching 100,000, the Turkish defense industry has become one of the key drivers of the country’s economic transformation.
International success
The progress achieved over the past quarter-century is expected to pave the way for Türkiye to build one of the world’s largest defense industries in the next 25 years. Türkiye today ranks among the world’s 100 largest defense companies with five firms and accounts for 1.5% of total global defense exports. According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) data, Türkiye is the 12th largest defense industry actor in th
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