Defense Industry President Görgün: Our export potential in the defense industry is growing

Aviation, Space and Technology Festival (TEKNOFEST), of which Anadolu Agency (AA) is the "Global Communication Partner" and managed by the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the T3 Foundation, continues to host its visitors at Şanlıurfa GAP Airport.

Presidential Defense Industry President Görgün participated in the conversation titled "Defense Industry and Development" within the scope of the "GLOBE Speeches" event organized by the Culture and Civilization (KÜME) Foundation on the third day of the festival.

Stating that TEKNOFEST has turned into a strategic platform where innovative ideas find a place, Görgün drew attention to the young and dynamic structure of the human resources in the defense industry.

"We trust our youth completely"

Haluk Görgün stated that they fully trust the teams that solve difficult problems and work in harmony and said, "They produce platforms that will work in the air, at sea, on land, under water and go to space. We are proud to say that the average age of these teams is 34. We even have companies with an average age of 28-29. Therefore, we have full confidence in our young people." he said.

Görgün stated that approximately 97 percent of university graduates working in the defense industry graduated from Turkish universities and made the following assessment:

"For us, human value is very important. You may have produced very complex systems. However, if you do not have the human talent and competence to develop or even maintain those systems, no matter how valuable the system you produce is, it is of no use if you cannot use it when you need it. For this reason, the basic element in our defense industry is the vision put forward by our President. The basis of this vision is the trust in Turkish people, youth, engineers, manufacturers and industrialists and the opportunities given to them. Turkish youth, "Entrepreneurs and industrialists are trying to make the most of this motivation and the opportunities given. In this way, today Turkey ranks 11th among the defense industry exporting countries in the world. In addition, when we look at its export potential, Turkey is among the countries that export products to the highest number of countries in the world. We are now a country that can export more than 230 products to 185 different countries."

"The export value of UCAV cameras per kilogram is 20 thousand dollars"

Explaining that high-tech products developed in the defense industry have transformed daily life over time, Görgün stated that the value-added production in the sector is reflected in Türkiye's export figures.

Görgün continued his words as follows:

"The world now requires the production of cost-effective systems that make human life easier, establish trust and peace. While the value per kilogram in Türkiye's general exports is around 1.5 dollars, when we include the volumetric products in our defense industry, our export rate per kilogram reaches 65 dollars. In fact, the value per kilogram of the cameras we use in our UAVs is around 20 thousand dollars. The value per kilogram of the detectors inside those cameras is 50 thousand dollars. With the increase in the capacity of trained people, this high added value "Transformation to the area is a natural necessity."

"We signed new contracts with high budgets in Azerbaijan"

Defense Industry President Görgün stated that he went to Azerbaijan before coming to Şanlıurfa and said, "We signed new high-budget contracts for very serious platforms and we continue our negotiations without slowing down." he said.

Reminding that Turkish defense industry companies exported 10.1 billion dollars last year and signed new export contracts worth nearly 18 billion dollars, Görgün stated that the situation got even stronger in the last quarter of this year.

National systems are named after Anatolia

Answering the questions of the participants after the interview, Görgün pointed out the vision of "Fully independent Türkiye" in response to a question regarding the strategies they follow in combating foreign dependency in the defense industry.

Pointing out that building trust in the sector is the most important element, Görgün said, "Our first strategy is to keep our promises. The second is after-sales support. We know that our job is not over by just delivering the product and receiving the payment. The third is our strategic goals. Our struggle is to produce domestic and national products and to expand our network of friends and allies." made his assessment.

Stating that TEKNOFEST is not only a technology event but also a platform that brings team spirit and responsibility awareness, Görgün said, "I see during the internship or job acceptance processes in our companies that our young people who pass through places like TEKNOFEST reveal themselves like a shining lamp. Our companies do not miss this opportunity and value those young people." he said.