In May 2025, Türkiye’s military and aerospace industry had its first monthly reduction in exports, going from $876 million in May 2024 to about $742 million. Even with this short-term drop, the industry is still growing quickly overall, with cumulative exports reaching a new five-month high.

First Decline Since July 2024

According to the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), the defence and aerospace industry had the second-worst year-on-year export performance in May 2025. In May, Türkiye’s total national exports were 2.7% more than they were in the same month in 2024.

However, exports of defence and aerospace goods fell by 24%.

This was the first month in a row that the sector saw a dip, which was a sign of a temporary change in export momentum that had been rising for ten months straight.

Record Performance Despite May Slowdown

Still, the overall trend in exports is still going higher. From January 1 to May 31, 2025, the defence and aerospace sector set a new high for exports, bringing in $2.98 billion—29% more than the $2.32 billion that came in during the same time period in 2024. Strong results in March and April drove this rise.

The monthly export breakdown for 2025 is as follows:

January: $380.2 million

February: $435.2 million

March: $884.0 million

April: $538.3 million

May: $741.9 million

Targets and Forecasts for 2025

Türkiye’s defence and aerospace exports brought in around $7.15 billion in 2024. According to the “2025 Presidential Annual Programme”, released in late 2024, the official export target for 2025 is $7.3 billion. On the other hand, Haluk Görgün, the Secretary of Defence Industries (SSB), said in May 2025 that he thought export revenues might reach between $8 billion and $8.5 billion by the end of the year.

This optimism is supported by the fact that military conflicts and geopolitical tensions remain strong, which keeps demand for defence equipment high. By the end of 2025, the industry thinks that Türkiye’s export sales will be at least 25% greater than they were at the end of 2024.

Strategic Momentum in a Market That Is Growing

People see the little drop in May as more of a statistical change than a deteriorating trend. Türkiye’s defence and aerospace sector is still in a good position to take advantage of changing global conditions and bigger expenditures for buying things in allied countries.

If the momentum from the first five months continues or increases, Türkiye may not only fulfil but also exceed its national export targets. This will make it an even more important supplier in the global defence ecosystem.

Author: Özgür Ekşi