Türkiye’s defense firms signed $15 billion in new contracts in 2026, Görgün says

Defense Industry Agency President Haluk Görgün said Turkish defense companies have signed $15 billion in new contracts this year. He said they expect the figure to reach $20 billion by year-end.

Defense Industry Agency (SSB) President Haluk Görgün shared figures on the sector’s 2026 performance at the “Subcontractor and Supply Management Workshop in the Defense and Aviation Sector” in Bursa. “In 2026, our companies signed $15 billion in new contracts. We expect this figure to reach $20 billion by the end of the year,” Görgün said.

About 209 companies are attending the three-day supply chain meeting, the second of its kind organized by the SSB, with around 1,000 bilateral business meetings planned. The workshop covers production capacity, financing, exports and the workforce.

“56% of our exports go to NATO allies”

Noting that growth in defense exports is well above Türkiye’s overall export growth, Görgün said the per-kilogram value of the sector’s exports is about 40 times the national average. “We carry out 56% of our defense and aviation exports to our NATO allies,” he said.

“Today we have more than 4,000 companies, nearly 135,000 employees and over 1,400 projects,” Görgün said, also highlighting the value of orders main contractors have placed with domestic suppliers over the past three years.

Over $20 billion in orders to domestic firms

According to Görgün, ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, TUSAŞ, HAVELSAN and STM worked with more than 16,000 domestic firms over the past three years and placed orders worth over $20 billion with them. Open domestic orders currently exceed $13.4 billion.

A test firing of a land-based missile system (file photo)

“Behind every helicopter, missile and ship of ours is the work of our companies that produce thousands of parts,” Görgün said, stressing that strengthening the supply chain is critical for the sector’s future.

“We must not be at the mercy of other countries”

Addressing the risks of foreign dependence, Görgün said: “If the supply of a critical part depends on another country’s permission, this dependence can also affect the production of a system we developed ourselves.” He added: “To meet our security needs, we must build an industrial structure in which we are not at the mercy of other countries.”

Recalling that recommendations from the first workshop, held two years ago, were turned into a roadmap, Görgün said the results of this year’s workshop would also be turned into a strategic roadmap based on input from the sector.

Türkiye’s defense firms signed $15 billion in new contracts in 2026, Görgün says

Defense Industry Agency President Haluk Görgün said Turkish defense companies have signed $15 billion in new contracts this year. He said they expect the figure to reach $20 billion by year-end.