Turkey’s defense and aerospace exports rose 31 percent in the first 10 months of 2025, compared to the same period of 2024, reaching $6.7 billion, the country’s defense industry chief said on Tuesday.
Haluk Görgün, head of the Presidency of the Defense Industry (SSB), also said the sector’s share in Turkey’s overall exports climbed to 3.5 percent between January and October.
“This sustained export success in our sector is the result of the defense industry cooperation activities we carry out around the world,” Görgün said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal. “We are continuing these efforts with unflagging determination.”
Turkey’s total exports reached $224.6 billion in the same period, an increase of 3.9 percent year-on-year, official data showed.
Defense analysts say the latest figures reflect Turkey’s continued expansion into new markets across Asia, Africa and Europe, with strong demand for Turkish-made drones, armored vehicles and naval systems.
Turkish-made drones have contributed to a growing drone race and civilian harm in African conflicts, with governments acquiring Bayraktar TB2s and other systems and then using them in active theaters such as Ethiopia, the Sahel and Libya, according to independent monitors.
Turkish drone sales have also fed Sudan’s war, with Ankara-linked suppliers approaching the state army and, according to investigations, maintaining contacts that signaled outreach to the rival militia, fueling a race to acquire armed UAVs as atrocities mount.
A Washington Post probe found Baykar covertly supplied the Sudanese Armed Forces with at least $120 million in TB2 drones and munitions in 2023, while another Post report and follow-on coverage said Turkish firms also engaged RSF interlocutors as both sides upgraded their arsenals despite embargoes.
Researchers warn that the spread of cheaper imported drones from Turkey, China and Iran lowers the threshold for force and increases civilian casualties across Africa, including in Sudan.