Turkey will deploy defense industry attachés to its embassies worldwide to facilitate arms exports and defense cooperation, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, citing Haluk Görgün, secretary of Turkey’s Defense Industry Agency (SSB) on Monday.
Görgün told reporters at a news conference in Ankara that the attachés will serve as intermediaries between Turkish defense contractors and potential foreign buyers across all continents.
The initial phase will include postings in 23 countries, with Azerbaijan receiving the first appointment.
“We have received approvals for 22 of the 23 planned positions,” Görgün said, adding that the appointments are essential for maintaining continuous engagement with end users in countries where Turkey aims to expand its capabilities.
The agency has already appointed a defense industry consultant to Azerbaijan and Pakistan, with more strategic countries to be announced later.
The attachés’ reported role is to identify market opportunities and assist Turkish companies in navigating foreign markets, including joint production and technology transfer agreements.
Boom in defense exports
Görgün, who also spoke about the performance of the defense industry last year, said it grew by 29 percent in 2024 when defense contractors held 416 meetings on international defense industry collaboration and agreements as part of their efforts to expand cooperation.
He said the sector had already made a quick start to 2025, with new contracts whose value exceeded $1 billion in January.
“We expect to maintain this monthly average,” he added.
According to the SSB chair, the United States and NATO were Turkey’s largest defense customers last year with deliveries worth $3.7 billion.
“We have packages with alternative solutions for each region. With this wide range of products, we can offer tailored solutions to meet specific needs. There are not many countries that can do this,” Görgün said, adding that Turkey is currently the world’s 11th-largest defense exporter and has signed defense industry cooperation agreements with 87 countries worldwide.
A report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in March showed that Turkey’s arms exports increased by 106 percent over the past four years, making it the 11th top exporter of arms worldwide.
The Turkish government says it is working to reduce Turkey’s dependence on foreign countries for arms and military equipment by investing more in the national defense industry, which has boomed over the past years. Turkey is now one of the world’s main exporters of armed drones.
Meanwhile, the value of contracts signed by Turkish defense contractors over the past two years reached $20 billion. Görgün said Turkey would continue to work with the same determination to achieve a permanent increase in exports.
There are also plans to expand the Defense Industry Support Fund to mass-produce military equipment and platforms for the Defense Ministry and security forces, according to Görgün.
The initiative will proceed under the guidance of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek.
Progress on KAAN
Regarding Turkey’s domestically produced Kaan fighter jet, Görgün said its development is proceeding on schedule, with some processes ahead of the timeline.
The Kaan fighter jet project, initiated in 2016, aims to produce a next-generation aircraft by the late 2020s.
The $1.18 billion project includes collaboration with BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce for engine development, according to the SSB.
The agency plans to produce six aircraft in this phase, each serving different functions and test activities. Görgün said flight activities for the first, second, third and subsequent aircraft are planned for 2025 and that more details will be provided over time.
The agency has also signed contracts for the serial production of air defense systems under the Steel Dome project, which integrates various weapons and sensor systems from point defense to regional defense, Görgün said.
He added that development continues for longer-range and higher-altitude systems, including the SİPER 2 system, which is currently in the production and testing phase.