President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the 13th Türkiye Innovation Week, organized by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) with the support of the Trade Ministry at Istanbul’s Haliç Congress Center. He said the defense industry shows most clearly what investment in technology means for the economy and digital sovereignty.
“Last year we exported more than $10 billion worth of defense and aerospace products to 180 countries and regions. In January-September 2026, we increased our exports by 15.6% compared with the same period last year, bringing them to $6.9 billion,” Erdoğan said.
“We suffered greatly from depending on others”
Erdoğan recalled that in 2002 the sector’s local content rate was only 20% and its exports stood at $248 million, with many basic materials used by the security forces imported. “Importing the product was not the end of it. Suppliers also interfered in where, against whom and how we would use them. From the Cyprus Peace Operation to the fight against terrorism, we suffered greatly from depending on others,” he said.
4,500 companies, 1,400 projects, nearly 100,000 jobs
“Today, with more than 4,500 companies, over 1,400 projects, nearly 100,000 direct jobs and a project volume exceeding $100 billion, we have reached a completely different level in the defense industry,” Erdoğan said.
He noted that while the value per kilogram of Türkiye’s overall exports is around $1.5, it is approaching $65 in the defense industry, including bulky products. Cameras used on armed drones are worth about $20,000 per kilogram and the detectors inside them about $50,000, he said, adding: “For Türkiye, investing in advanced technology is not a choice but a necessity.”
According to TİM data, defense and aerospace exports totaled $6.926 billion in January-September, including $634.1 million in September alone.
Messages on funds and technology
Erdoğan also said a problem that emerged in part of the investment fund market had been brought under control through steps taken since Sept. 17, with priority on paying investors in funds slated for liquidation as soon as possible. “We cannot accept the wholesale criminalization of our capital markets over the fund issue,” he said.
Noting that R&D spending has risen from $1.2 billion in 2002 to $20 billion and the number of technoparks to 115, Erdoğan said Terminal Istanbul, a technology and entrepreneurship hub built in the former Atatürk Airport terminals, will open with all its functions in 2027.
