The head of SSB (Defense Industry Agency), Haluk Görgün, announced at a workshop in Bursa that new defense sector contracts worth $15 billion have been signed in 2026. Görgün stated that this figure is expected to reach $20 billion by the end of the year. According to the statement, the sector's main contractors—ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ), HAVELSAN, and STM—have worked with more than 16,500 domestic companies over the past three years and placed orders exceeding $20 billion with these firms.

The SSB plays a critical role in the structure and operation of Turkey's defense and aerospace industry ecosystem. The agency provides strategic coordination to increase localization rates, accelerate technology transfer, and strengthen the domestic supply chain. Under Haluk Görgün's leadership, SSB has taken significant steps in recent years to open the sector to international markets and establish international partnerships. The agency also develops policies that encourage research and development investments in the defense industry and monitor localization targets.

Contract signing in the defense sector provides the necessary financial resources for companies to develop products, increase production capacity, and gain technological competence. These contracts support the expansion and deepening of the network established between prime contractors and subcontractors and suppliers. According to Görgün's statement, outstanding domestic orders in the sector exceeding $13.4 billion indicate that production activities will intensify in coming periods and employment growth will continue. These figures signal strong growth for the Turkish defense industry.

The Turkish defense industry has transformed from a heavily import-dependent structure in the early 2000s to a sector with high localization rates and export-oriented production today. Projects such as ASELSAN's radar and electronic warfare systems, ROKETSAN's missile and rocket platforms, TUSAŞ's unmanned aerial vehicles, and Baykar's Bayraktar series exemplify this transformation. Görgün emphasized that export value per kilogram is 40 times higher than the national average, demonstrating that the sector produces high-value-added products. In September 2026, defense and aerospace industry exports increased by 10.7 percent compared to the same month last year, reaching $634 million.

Turkey's position in the international defense market continues to strengthen. Unmanned aerial vehicles such as Bayraktar TB2 and TB3 have been exported to more than 30 countries and demonstrated operational success. When compared to NATO-standard systems such as Patriot, NASAMS, and Aegis, Turkish systems offer competitive advantages in terms of cost-effectiveness and adaptability. Parallel to defense industry developments by China, Russia, and Western countries, Turkey continues to increase its own technological capacity. The participation of 209 companies in the SSB-organized Subcontractor and Supply Chain Management Workshop and the conduct of more than 1,000 B2B meetings demonstrate the intensity of cooperation and coordination in the sector.