Turkey's defense sales hit $5.79 billion in first seven months of 2026

According to the head of Turkey's Defense Industry Agency, Haluk Gorgun, the nation recorded $5.79 billion in defense and aviation exports during the first seven months of 2026, marking a 26.2% rise compared with the same period last year. July alone generated $1.12 billion, 14.4% higher than July 2025, and cumulative sales over the last twelve months totalled $11.2 billion. While the agency gave no breakdown of customers or product mix, the surge reflects strong demand for armed drones, missiles, armored vehicles, naval platforms and electronic systems.

ASELSAN announced $629 million in new contracts in Q1, including $171 million for Asia-Pacific communications gear and a $410 million electronic-warfare deal with Poland. STM disclosed exports of rotary-wing and fixed-wing loitering munitions to an unnamed EU/NATO member, and Baykar signed its first Kizilelma deal with Indonesia and a weapons-integration pact with the UAE's EDGE Group. The expanding export base is positioning Turkey as a cost-effective alternative for European defence procurement.