Companies operating in the defense industry and aviation field in Eskisehir Organized Industrial Zone increased the export amount from $350 million in 2022 to $436 million in 2023.
Some companies in Eskisehir, one of Turkiye’s cities with knowledge and infrastructure in the aviation and defense industry, are carrying out various studies on the production of engines of airplanes, helicopters, UAVs and UCAVs, and some parts of civil and military aircraft.
60 companies operating in Eskisehir Organized Industrial Zone, with 9 thousand 500 employees, achieved exports of $436 million in the defense and aerospace sector in 2023.
Organized Industrial Zone President Nadir Kupeli told the AA correspondent that Eskisehir is one of the cities with the most established industrial infrastructure in the country and has serious experience.
Stating that there are approximately 60 companies operating in the field of aviation and defense industry in the region, Kupeli continued as follows:
“We are making a serious export attack day by day. Our defense industry and aviation exports, which were $150-$200 million a few years ago, have reached $436 million today. The total turnover of the companies in Eskisehir in the defense industry has reached approximately $1 billion. In this sense, it is one of the top few provinces in the defense and aerospace industry in Turkiye. Some stand out among the companies serving the defense industry in Eskisehir. There are institutions such as the 1st Air Maintenance Factory and TUSAS Engine Industries Inc. These are very assertive and exporting institutions in the aviation industry. One of the two planes flying in the world has a spare part produced in Eskisehir.”
“We have an export target of $2.5 billion by 2030”
Kupeli pointed out that Eskisehir’s defense industry exports, which were $350 million in 2022, will reach approximately $436 million in 2023.
Stating that the city’s foreign sales in this area will increase further, Kupeli said:
“We are making investments in this sense. We are trying to provide both incentives and support to the participants of our region in terms of exports. Eskisehir is one of the three cities in the field of defense industry in Turkiye. Eskisehir comes after Istanbul and Ankara. We have significant experience in spare parts for both the defense industry and civil aircraft in the world. Our companies in Eskisehir are working very intensively. We have exports of around $436 million. We will increase this to $1 billion in the coming periods and take a significant share of the European market. Our target, especially in defense industry exports, is $2-$2.5 billion by 2030. Especially in civil aircraft, there are companies such as Airbus and Boeing. Some of the main supplies of these are made by our companies in Eskisehir.”
Kupeli stated that they want to make all of the city’s exports with high technology products. Kupeli stated that they want to increase the share of high technology products in their total exports to 20% in 2026-2030, and then to 25%. Currently, the rate of high-technology exports in Eskisehir’s exports has started to reach 16%. We are the best city in Turkiye in this sense. Eskisehir differentiates itself positively in this sense.”
Nadir Kupeli invited all defense and aerospace related companies to make production in Eskisehir. Stating that the infrastructure of Eskisehir Organized Industrial Zone is good, Kupeli said:
“We have excellent working areas. The energy and supply security of the Organized Industrial Zone is extremely strong. There is a serious infrastructure here in terms of workforce, sub-industry and spare parts. We work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to solve the problems of all companies in our region. We want to experience that pride by reinforcing the successes of our country in the defense industry in recent years. Because the localization rate in the defense industry was around 40% 10-15 years ago, but today it has reached 80%. Let us have a bigger share in this, let Eskisehir industry get a bigger share from it. We want our army and our country to ensure our survival and security with more national equipment.”
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz