The Turkish defense and aerospace industry continued its strong rise in the 2025 Türkiye’s Top 500 Industrial Enterprises survey announced by the Istanbul Chamber of Industry. The strengthened positions of leading sector companies such as TUSAŞ, ASELSAN, ROKETSAN and HAVELSAN in the upper ranks of the ISO 500 list showed that the defense industry is increasing its weight within Turkish industry not only in technology development and exports, but also in terms of net sales from production.

One of the most notable companies in the list from the defense and aerospace sector was TUSAŞ. Turkish Aerospace Industries rose four places to rank 7th in the ISO 500 list. The company’s net sales from production reached 140.89 billion lira. With this result, TUSAŞ further strengthened its position as the highest-ranking defense and aerospace company on the list. Its growing production infrastructure, supported by projects such as KAAN, HÜRJET, HÜRKUŞ, ANKA, AKSUNGUR and GÖKBEY, played an important role in the company’s rise in the industrial league.

ASELSAN was also among the key defense companies that continued its upward trend. The company climbed eight places to rank 9th, with net sales from production reaching 130.25 billion lira. ASELSAN’s presence in the top 10 highlights the economic weight of defense electronics within Turkish industry. The company operates in several strategic fields, including radar, air defense, electro-optics, communication, electronic warfare and command-control systems.

ARCA Savunma made a strong entry into the ISO 500 list this year, ranking 12th. The company’s net sales from production were announced as 115.74 billion lira. ARCA Savunma’s high-ranking entry shows that the growth in defense industry production, particularly in ammunition and manufacturing capacity, is directly reflected in Türkiye’s industrial indicators. This also indicates that, alongside main contractors, ammunition and subsystem manufacturers are becoming increasingly visible among large-scale industrial enterprises.

ROKETSAN rose 13 places to rank 22nd, increasing its net sales from production to 81.37 billion lira. The company’s presence in the top 25 is an important indicator of the production momentum Türkiye has achieved in missile and munition technologies. ROKETSAN stands out with its solutions in missiles, rockets, guided munitions, air defense and naval platforms. The fact that TUSAŞ, ASELSAN, ARCA Savunma and ROKETSAN are all in the top 25 shows that the defense industry has become one of the main pillars of Turkish manufacturing.

There were also significant advances in land systems. Otokar rose 14 places to rank 45th, reaching 45.52 billion lira in net sales from production. The Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation achieved a strong 52-place rise to rank 57th, with net sales from production of 34.97 billion lira. These results show that defense companies operating in land vehicles, ammunition, weapon systems and support equipment are increasing their share in industrial production.

TEI, operating in aviation engines, rose 21 places to rank 104th and reached 23.06 billion lira in net sales from production. HAVELSAN climbed 44 places to rank 135th, with net sales from production of 18.75 billion lira. HAVELSAN’s rise in software, simulation, command-control, mission systems and digital defense solutions shows that not only platforms and munitions, but also software-based systems are becoming more prominent in terms of industrial scale.

Nurol Makina’s rise of 177 places to rank 270th was another notable development in the ISO 500 list. The company’s net sales from production were announced as 9.75 billion lira. Alp Aviation climbed 94 places to rank 329th, while Samsun Yurt Savunma Sanayii entered the list at 398th place. FNSS also returned to the list, rising 60 places to rank 450th. As a result, the Turkish defense industry was represented across a broad range of fields, from main contractors and land vehicle manufacturers to ammunition, electronic systems, aviation engines and subcontractor capabilities.

The rise of defense and aerospace companies in the ISO 500 list is considered an important economic indicator showing the strengthening of Türkiye’s high-technology production capacity. The increase in the sector’s net sales from production is directly linked to the maturation of domestic projects, growth in export orders, the expansion of serial production platforms and the broadening of the supply chain. This picture shows that the Turkish defense industry is no longer only a field meeting strategic security needs, but also a high value-added production ecosystem contributing to the growth of Turkish industry.