Türkiye's defense and aerospace exports rose 12.1% on an annual basis in the first quarter of the year, official data showed on Thursday.

Shipments reached $1.91 billion in the three-month period after totaling $803 million in March, Haluk Görgün, the head of the Defense Industries Presidency (SSB), said.

Defense exports had sealed a record 2025, rising about 48% year-over-year to more than $10 billion.

The figures reaffirmed rising global demand for Turkish-made military systems and come as Türkiye ramps up defense industry production to further cut dependence on foreign providers.

Görgün said Türkiye's defense and aerospace industry has been growing in line with the government's strategic vision.

⁠The sector's increased capacity and growing global collaborations were reflected in its export performance, he wrote on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

"Our robust production infrastructure and expanding collaborations, as well as our widening market network, will carry this momentum even further in the coming days," he added.

Years of investment have helped Türkiye evolve from a country heavily reliant on foreign defense systems to one where domestically developed platforms meet almost all of its needs.

For much of the past two decades, Ankara has expressed frustration over its Western allies' failure to provide adequate defense systems against missile threats despite Türkiye being a NATO member.

The transformation since the early 2000s has driven the development of a broad range of homegrown air, land and naval platforms, reducing foreign dependency from around 80% to below 20% today.

The capabilities of its defense platforms, led by its combat drones, helped it seal billions of dollars' worth of deals in recent years.

More than 3,500 firms operate in the Turkish defense industry, boasting a workforce of about 100,000.