The Turkish defense industry is concluding another fruitful year, marked by new records and several firsts, as leading domestic companies expanded their global reach and conducted numerous tests that prove their advanced capabilities and forward-looking vision.
The Turkish defense industry, widely recognized worldwide, conducted studies to address new needs emerging on the battlefield and in future combat environments, while also enhancing the capabilities of existing products throughout 2025.
From January through December, the companies' agenda was packed with new tests, flights, and export deals, enabling the defense and aerospace sector to surpass its recent export records and likely exceed the $8 billion figure once December trade data is announced.
Exports rose by 22% in November to $747 million, lifting the 11-month amount to nearly $7.45 billion. This is already a new record as it surpassed the $7.2 billion achieved in the whole of 2024.
Developments that contributed to export success continued intensely throughout the year, and the year was crowned with two major deals, including that of the leading defense and technology company Aselsan with Poland, worth $410 million for the direct sale of electronic warfare, and an over $3 billion deal of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and the government of Spain that covers a package of 30 units of advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft Hürjet.
Looking back, at the start of the year, Aselsan's local and national technology ANTIDOT 2-U/S Electronic Support System was successfully tested on Baykar’s Bayraktar TB2 platform.
Also in January, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Anka, developed by TAI, hit its target with full accuracy from 15,000 feet using Roketsan's L-UMTAS missile. The same month, Anka-3, Türkiye's first flying-wing, deep-strike unmanned aerial vehicle, successfully performed a munitions drop from its body with Aselsan’s TOLUN munitions.
Tayfun hit, Bayraktar TB2T-AI UCAV flies
In February, the domestically developed Tayfun missile, made by Roketsan, hit its target with pinpoint accuracy during a test conducted in the northern Rize province.
Similarly, Türkiye’s first indigenous and national beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), Gökdoğan, developed by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBITAK), was successfully test-fired and hit a target with a direct hit. This opened doors to further integration of the missile and tests on platforms later in the year.
Also in February, the T625 Gökbey general-purpose helicopter, developed by TAI, completed its low-altitude cold-weather tests under intense winter conditions. Göksür, the national local point air defense system developed by Aselsan and TÜBITAK SAGE, meanwhile, carried out its first launch from a surface platform.
Furthermore, the new version of Bayraktar TB2, the Bayraktar TB2T-AI unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) with a turbo engine and advanced artificial intelligence, began test flights and took to the skies.
In March, Bayraktar Kızılelma, Türkiye's first unmanned fighter jet, developed by drone pioneer Baykar, successfully passed the aerodynamic system identification test. Later in the month, it also completed the afterburner-assisted aerodynamics system identification test. The jet, which continued with its tests, also wrapped up the year with a major accomplishment as two of its prototypes carried out the world’s first fully autonomous close-formation flight by jet-powered drones.
Murad AESA radar in sky
March marked the first flight of the Bayraktar Akıncı drone with Aselsan’s Murad AESA radar.
In the same month, the Kara Atmaca, a long-range surface-to-surface cruise missile developed by Roketsan, performed its longest-range and duration flight in a firing test, breaking its own record.
Baykar-Leonardo agreement
In March, Baykar signed a cooperation agreement with Italy's defense giant Leonardo, focusing primarily on collaboration in unmanned systems. Later in the year, they launched a joint venture named LBA Systems.
Baykar's Akıncı drone, meanwhile, also celebrated completing 100,000 flight hours.
In April, Türkiye's medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle Aksungur achieved another record and milestone by climbing to an altitude of 40,000 feet, powered by a domestically produced TEI-PD170 engine.
Hürjet also exceeded the speed of sound by reaching 1.2 Mach, marking another milestone in supersonic jet training.
In the same month, STM’s domestic and national STM NETA unmanned autonomous underwater vehicle underwent its first sea test.
In May, Bayraktar Akıncı completed the first firing test of the domestic TEBER-83 guidance kit developed by Roketsan.
Kaan-Indonesia export
In June, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced Indonesia would become the first buyer of the Turkish homegrown fifth-generation fighter jet Kaan.
"Under the agreement signed with our friendly and brotherly nation, Indonesia, 48 Kaan jets will be produced in Türkiye and exported to Indonesia," he said at the time.
At the same time, Baykar completed the acquisition of the historic Italian aviation firm Piaggio Aerospace.
In July, the same company also completed a new round of tests for its domestically developed KEMANKEŞ 1, an artificial intelligence-powered mini cruise missile designed for strategic ground attacks.
IDEF 2025
The same month, the 17th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF 2025) was held in Istanbul, gathering leading domestic and international defense giants. STM unveiled the model of Turkey’s first national attack craft, for which it is the designer and main contractor, for the first time at IDEF 2025.
Various products and defense solutions were showcased during the fair. The Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE), for example, displayed the Tolga drone defense system, which offers a layered and integrated solution against drone threats, at IDEF.
The GAZAP and HAYALET aircraft bombs developed by the National Defense Ministry's R&D center were also showcased for the first time at IDEF 2025.
With over 120,000 visitors, IDEF 2025 reached a total contract volume of $9 billion, according to officials.
Largest single investment in industry
In August, Aselsan delivered subcomponents for the "Steel Dome" integrated air defense system, consisting of 47 vehicles, worth $460 million.
The foundation was laid for Oğulbey Technology Base, the largest single defense industry investment in the history of the republic, to be constructed by Aselsan over 6,500 acres and with $1.5 billion of investment.
In September, the Bayraktar TB3, the first drone in world aviation history capable of fully autonomous takeoff and landing on a short-runway ship, entered the service of security forces for the first time.
The same month saw the launch ceremony of the eighth ship, TCG Içel (F-518), constructed under the procurement project for the 6th-12th MILGEM Istanbul-Class (Istif-Class) frigates, into the sea.
Altay tank delivery
In October, the delivery of the first domestically developed Altay main battle tanks to the armed forces took place. At the same time, BMC’s Kahramankazan facility, where series production of the Altay tank will take place, was officially opened with the ceremony attended by Erdoğan.
In November, $6.5 billion mass production contracts covering space, air defense, anti-tank and strategic defense systems, including Steel Dome subcomponents, were signed between the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) and Aselsan and Roketsan.
Skydagger, a Turkish drone technology company, also showcased its new FPV kamikaze drone products, Skydagger 15 Plus and Skydagger Mini, for the first time at a fair, BAMEX'25, held in Mali.
Kızılelma milestones
In November, a domestically developed low-observable electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) named Toygun was integrated into Bayraktar Kızılelma.
Moreover, Roketsan’s short-range air defense system, Levent, successfully performed a live firing against an actual aerial target for the first time. The ramjet propulsion system developed by DeltaV Space Technologies also completed testing.
On the other hand, in November, Kızılelma wrote history as it became the world’s first unmanned combat aircraft to hit a jet-powered aerial target using a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile during a test over Sinop. This month, it once again wrote history with a close formation flight, which was widely featured in international media.