The Turkish defence and aviation industry continues to crown its rise in the global market with record export figures. Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, President of the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), announced that defence exports for April 2026 amounted to $962 million. According to the official data released, the sector achieved a massive increase of 28 percent in the first four months of the year compared to the same period last year. Thus, the total export volume for the January–April period (first quarter of 2026) reached $2,871 million. With its combat-proven, high-tech systems, Türkiye is very close to surpassing the strategic monthly export threshold of $1 billion.
Value-Added Production and Combat-Proven Systems
This momentum in the defence industry represents a technological transformation far beyond a standard production increase. The concepts of "high value-added production" and "combat-proven systems," particularly emphasised by Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün in his statement, form the key to this export success. Türkiye no longer merely sells conventional ammunition or classic armoured vehicles to the world.
The defence industry sector exports AI-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/UCAVs), advanced early warning radars, electronic warfare networks, electro-optical cameras, and autonomous marine systems. These advanced engineering products raise the defence industry's export value per kilogram to thousands of dollars. Furthermore, the fact that these systems have proven their mettle in asymmetric warfare conditions in global conflict zones (combat-proven) creates an indisputable reference source for international buyers.
Uninterrupted Production Against Global Uncertainty
Today, the global security architecture is going through a period of great crisis and uncertainty. Due to increased conflict risks, many developed Western countries are struggling to meet their own militaries' hardware needs and keep their supply chains alive. It is precisely during this complex period that the Turkish defence industry has risen to the position of a strategic, reliable supplier for Europe and the Middle East with its uninterrupted production lines.
This ecosystem, built in line with the vision of full independence set forth by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan years ago, shows extraordinary resilience against external shocks. Expanding international collaborations, a deepened local subcontractor network extending down to SMEs, and continuously increasing production capacity enable the sector to steadily achieve a growth rate of 28 percent.
The $1 Billion Per Month Threshold
The export figure of $962 million reached in April represents both a psychological and industrial turning point. The Turkish defense and aerospace sector is now just millimeters away from surpassing the $1 billion monthly export threshold.
In the coming period, locomotive companies such as TUSAŞ, ASELSAN, Baykar, Roketsan, and HAVELSAN are expected to offer their new-generation systems (jet trainer aircraft, unmanned marine vehicles, AI-powered munitions) to the international market. With these new platforms entering the export cycle, current growth figures will increase exponentially.
