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Turkey: The target in defense exports is to be among the top 10 in 5 years

While the domesticity rate in the defense industry is based on 80%, an export record of $3.2 billion was broken in 2021. The sector, which has increased its exports 7 times on dollar basis in the last 15 years, aims to enter the top 10 in the world within 5 years.

Turkey, which has reached the point of ending foreign dependency by increasing the rate of domesticity in the defense industry to the highest level in its history, has entered a historical turning point in exports as well. The Turkish defense industry also receives an economic reward for its efforts to meet the needs of friendly and allied countries, especially the security forces, with the most advanced technologies. The sector, which has reduced Turkey’s dependence on foreign sources and increased its domesticity rate to 80% with the vehicles, equipment and subsystems developed in recent years, also carries out intensive studies in finding markets for these products. In this context, many Turkish defense and aerospace industry products were exported for the first time in 2021, and new ones were added to the exported countries.

EXCEEDED $3 BILLION FOR THE FIRST TIME

The defense and aerospace industry reached a new export record in 2021 with $3 billion 224 million 786 thousand. Turkey’s exports increased by 32.9% last year and reached $225 billion 367 million. The defense and aerospace industry, on the other hand, surpassed Turkey’s average with an annual export increase of 41.5%. The defense and aerospace industry, which closed 2020 with $2 billion 278 thousand 695 thousand of exports, increased this amount to $3 billion 224 million in 2021. Thus, the sector, which managed to break the annual export record in 2019 ($2 billion 740 million 988) in November, carried this record even further at the end of the year. With this success, the export threshold of $3 billion was exceeded for the first time in terms of the sector. The successful performance of the sector throughout the year peaked in December. The sector, which achieved a high export increase of 55% in December of 2021 compared to the same month of the previous year, realized foreign sales of $433 million 9 thousand. The country to which Turkey exported the most last year was the USA with $1 billion 127 million 861 thousand. Azerbaijan with 202 million $221 thousand, Qatar with $180 million 547 thousand, the United Arab Emirates with $161 million 526 thousand, and Morocco with $159 million 667 thousand followed the USA in defense and aerospace exports. Turkey’s defense and aviation exports to countries including Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Rwanda, Lithuania, Congo, Paraguay, Slovakia, Kuwait, Burkina Faso, Chad and Uzbekistan increased significantly compared to 2020. Turkey has started to develop and export SIHAs, which it could not even afford 13 years ago, with a record domestic rate. While Akıncı’s first and Bayraktar TB2’s 16th export contract was signed last week, the Turkish defense industry, which has increased its export performance in recent years, aims to enter the top 10 in the world within 5 years. The Turkish defense industry has managed to increase its exports 7 times on a dollar basis in the last 15 years. The total of Turkey’s defense and aerospace exports amounted to 1% of the world’s defense exports. Currently, 75% of total exports in this field are realized by the USA, Russia, France, Germany and China.

EXPORTS TO 169 COUNTRIES

20 years ago, thanks to the steps and efforts taken towards the development of national and original UAVs, the needs of the country were met with the participation of the domestic industry at a record rate, and now this technology is exported to the world. The Turkish defense industry now exports armored vehicles, aircraft, naval platforms, ammunition, value-added products developed by the industry such as UAVs and SİHAs, whose intellectual and industrial rights belong to it, to 169 countries of the world, including NATO and European Union member countries.

THIS YEAR’S TARGET $8.9 BILLION

In the Presidential Annual Program for 2022, it was predicted that in 2022, defense and aerospace exports would be $8.9 billion, turnover would be $23.1 billion, and the number of people employed in the sector would be 74 thousand 800.

Source: Sabah / Translated by Irem Yildiz

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