Turkey: From Close Cooperation to Fierce Competition

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Turkey’s defense industry exports reached an all-time high in 2013 of $1.4 billion, according to industry officials. In many areas the Turkish expert efforts are made parralel to those made by Israeli defense industries.

The export contracts signed during 2013 mark a 10 percent increase from 2012, according to Latif Aral Alis, chairman of Turkey’s Defense and Aerospace Industry Exporters’ Association. “Although the country’s overall exports saw a stagnant year in 2013, defense and aerospace exports reported a remarkable increase,” Alis said in a statement quoted by Defense News.

Alis said Turkey’s defense exports had seen a 43 percent increase from 2008 to 2012, during which time one-third of total production was exported. He said the sector’s 2014 objective is to reach $2 billion in exports, or a 44 percent increase over 2013.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

The export boost in 2013 is attributed mainly to Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which reported $537 million worth of exports, or nearly 39 percent of all defense exports. Top export items in 2013 were aircraft and helicopter parts, engines, armored land vehicles, speed boats, missiles, rockets, launching platforms, light weapons and electronic systems including transmitters, command-and-control systems, simulators, sensors and practical software.

Turkish defense officials often say they target $25 billion worth of exports by the year 2023, the Turkish republic’s centennial, although experts view this goal cautiously.