The corporate journey, which started in 1985 as the Defense Industry Development and Support Administration, continued by turning into the Undersecretariat of Defense Industries in 1989 and the Presidency of Defense Industries in 2018.
Before 2002, in meeting the needs of the defense industry, ready-made purchases were mainly made from abroad until the 1990s, and joint production models came to the fore in the 1990s, while in the following period, the supply approach based on domestic design and original development gradually gained strength.
One of the important turning points of this transformation was the Defense Industry Executive Committee meeting held in 2004 under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
In his statement, SSB President Haluk Görgün evaluated the progress made towards the goal of meeting Türkiye's defense and security needs with national capabilities on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the institution, whose foundations were laid on November 7, 1985.
Emphasizing that the successes achieved in the defense industry are the result of strong institutions, competent human values and collaborative working culture, Görgün said, "This is the story of 41 years, the story of the great transformation between these two tables." he said.
Görgün stated that Türkiye, which was dependent on external resources to meet its defense and security needs in the past, has now reached a position where it meets most of these needs with its own engineering and production capabilities and offers the solutions it has developed to the use of friendly and allied countries.
From supply to national design in 41 years
Görgün stated that a historical transformation has been achieved in the defense industry under the leadership of President Erdoğan, especially in the period approaching the last quarter of a century, and pointed out that the localization rate, which was around 20 percent in 2002, has reached over 80 percent today.
Emphasizing that a wide range of unique capabilities have been gained, from unmanned aerial vehicles to national warships, from air defense systems to electronic warfare technologies, Görgün said, "From a Türkiye that was once only a supplier, we have now come to a Türkiye that designs, develops, produces, integrates and exports." made his assessment.
Unique corporate model taken as an example in the world
Görgün pointed out that, in the 41-year period, the SSB has transformed from being a structure that only supplies defense systems to an institution that coordinates technology development, production, industrialization and export processes in a holistic manner, and underlined that the unique corporate model of the Presidency has also attracted attention at the international level.
Görgün said:
"Our Presidency of Defense Industries is not only an institution that makes procurement, but also a unique corporate structure that brings together the authorities, public institutions, private sector and universities around common goals, and carries out all processes from R&D to design, from production to export in coordination. The fact that this model is taken as an example by different countries today is an important indicator of the level reached by our 41-year corporate experience and defense industry ecosystem."
"No task is unimportant, no effort is invisible"
Emphasizing the human effort behind the achievements in the defense industry, Görgün stated that every successful project is implemented with the joint efforts of many employees, from needs analysis to design, contract processes, tests and delivery.
"No task is insignificant, no labor is invisible." Emphasizing that they act with the understanding that they act, Görgün noted that the success achieved in the defense industry is powered not only by technological products but also by the knowledge, experience and labor of thousands of people working towards the same goal.
Emphasizing that strong institutions can be carried into the future with fair and sustainable working cultures, Görgün underlined that it is a common responsibility to transfer the Presidency's 41 years of experience to future generations more strongly.
Celebrating the anniversary of the Presidency's establishment, Görgün stated that they will continue to progress towards the goal of a fully independent defense industry stronger, with greater success and a common working approach.
From 62 projects to approximately 1500 projects
The transformation experienced in the defense industry was also reflected in the economic size, technological infrastructure and human resources of the sector.
In the defense industry ecosystem, where 56 companies operated and 62 projects were carried out in 2002, today more than 4 thousand companies operate and the number of projects has reached approximately 1500. In the same period, the total project volume, which was at 5.5 billion dollars, increased to over 100 billion dollars, including those at the tender stage.
While the industry's turnover, which was approximately 1.1 billion dollars in 2002, increased to 25 billion dollars, annual R&D expenditures also increased from 49 million dollars to over 3.5 billion dollars.
The growing project portfolio and production capacity also increased qualified employment. While employment in the sector, which was approximately 81 thousand in 2022, exceeded 135 thousand, it is aimed to reach employment of 158 thousand people by 2028.
40-fold growth in exports
The national capabilities developed in the defense industry were also reflected in Türkiye's export performance.
Defense and aerospace exports, which were at the level of 248 million dollars in 2002, increased approximately 40 times, reaching 10 billion 54 million dollars in 2025.
Continuing its increase in 2026, the sector achieved exports of 1 billion 140 million dollars in October, with a growth of 61 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. Exports, which reached 8 billion 50 million dollars in 10 months of the year, increased to 11 billion 357 million dollars in the last 12 months as of the end of October.
Defense and aerospace exports in the last 14 years reached approximately 55 billion dollars as of the end of October 2026. More than $30 billion of this was recorded in the last 4 years, covering the period 2023-2026. Thus, the share of these 4 years in total exports exceeded 55 percent.
The preference of Turkish defense industry products in markets where high quality and technology standards are sought, especially in NATO member countries, has strengthened the international position of the sector.
