Türkiye’s defence and aerospace exports surged by 44 percent year on year in January 2026, hitting a record monthly high of more than $555 million as overseas demand for Turkish-built military technology continued to grow, the Turkish Defence Industries Secretariat said on Monday (2 February).

According to Haluk Gorgun, head of the Defence Industries Secretariat, January’s export revenue set a new monthly record for the country’s defence and aerospace sector.

In a social media post, Gorgun attributed last month’s record-breaking sales to the growing competitiveness of Turkish-built defence and aerospace equipment in international markets.

“This result is a tangible reflection of our high value-added, advanced technology product portfolio, our field-proven systems, and our long-term, trust-based collaborations,” he wrote on Turkish social media platform NSosyal. Gorgun also linked the sector’s performance to the “visionary” policies implemented under the government’s National Technology Initiative, first launched in 2018.

Since then, Türkiye has become a leading exporter of high-tech defence and aviation equipment, including aerial drones, naval platforms and electronic warfare systems.

In 2020, Turkish-built aerial drones, especially the Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat vehicle, played a significant role in Azerbaijan’s military victory over neighbouring Armenia. In recent years, Turkish defence and aviation firms have secured numerous contracts with European partners, including Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Spain and Portugal.

• Turkish defence, aviation exports hit $10-billion mark in 2025, Ankara says

They have also supplied several Arab, African and Central Asian states with advanced defence and aviation equipment. Last summer, Türkiye signed a landmark contract with Indonesia for dozens of its domestically produced KAAN fighter jets. Soon afterwards, another major contract was signed with Madrid for the purchase of Turkish-built HURJET training aircraft.

In 2025 alone, Türkiye sold more than $10 billion worth of defence and aerospace hardware to foreign buyers, a 48 per cent increase on the previous year.

According to the Defence Industries Secretariat, this total included $9.87 billion in equipment sales and a further $184 million in related services.

Copied