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Turkey defense industry growth and regional impact

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2026-10-03 14:53 UTC → 2026-10-05 08:41 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Turkey is accelerating its strategic shift toward domestic defense production through significant budgetary increases and advanced technological development. Under the Medium Term Program (OVP), military and defense spending has risen by approximately 226% to reduce foreign dependency. A key component of this expansion is the ‘Steel Dome’ (Çelik Kubbe) project, which integrates multi-layered air defense into the Turkish Navy for ‘Blue Homeland’ waters. Recent developments show the localization rate in Turkey’s defense industry has reached 83 percent. ~~During a meeting in Denizli,~~ Haluk Görgün, President of the Presidency of Defense Industries, has emphasized that designing platforms with national resources is insufficient without localizing every component and critical material. ~~He noted the massive scale of national projects, stating that 750 companies are involved in~~ Large-scale projects include the KAAN national combat ~~aircraft production~~ aircraft, involving 750 companies, and ~~approximately 1,000 companies are participating in~~ the SİPER long-range air defense ~~system project. Efforts are also underway to produce titanium alloys and high-quality semi-finished products to further reduce foreign dependency.~~ system, involving approximately 1,000 companies. Globally, Turkey has emerged as a major player, with five firms appearing in the world’s top 100 defense companies ~~list. ASELSAN leads the group at 40th place, followed~~ list, led by ~~TUSAŞ, ARCA Savunma, ROKETSAN, and MKE. Building on this momentum,~~ ASELSAN. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced at the Teknofest festival that Turkey has become the world's 11th largest country in defense industry ~~exports. He noted a transformation~~ exports, transitioning from an 80 percent dependency on foreign ~~technology to a major exporter, with more than 4,500 companies now operating in the sector.~~ technology. Defense and aerospace exports reached $511.4 million in August, contributing to a 16.2 percent increase ~~in exports~~ for the January-August ~~period compared~~ period. Turkey is increasingly transitioning from a supplier to a strategic actor in European security. Following a 48 percent increase in defense exports in 2025, the ~~previous year.~~ nation now holds a 1.8 percent share of the global arms market. Notable milestones include the export of a warship to Romania, marking Turkey's first military vessel export to an EU and NATO member state. The country is also strengthening ties with Italy, Spain, and Poland, exemplified by Baykar’s acquisition of Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace and its partnership with Leonardo.

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