Turkey's Defense Industry Exports Reach $6.7 Billion, Securing Top Global Rankings

Turkey’s defence and aerospace firms reported total exports of $6.7 billion, according to the Istanbul Chamber of Industry’s ISO 500 ranking. ARCA Defence led with $2.9 billion, followed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) with just over $1 billion, while Otokar, Roketsan, and Aselsan also placed among the top 30 exporters.

The sector’s growth has accelerated since 2016, when defence exports were $1.67 billion, and is projected to exceed $11 billion by 2026. At the SAHA 2026 defence expo in Istanbul, 1,800 companies from 120 countries signed export agreements worth $8 billion across 182 deals, including the first international sale of the Bayraktar Kızıl Elma stealth combat UAV to Indonesia.