Turkey's aviation and defense industry exports increased by nearly 14 percent, reaching over $900 million in the first half of this year, versus the same period last year.
Exports, about $795.71 billion in the January-June period of 2017, rose to some $906.41 billion this year, while aviation and defense industry exports in the last 12-month period reached nearly 1.85 billion, according to Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TİM) data.
State-run and private aviation and defense companies manufacture several types of products, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, weapons, tanks, armored cars and command and control systems, which are used around the world.
Overall exports, around $81.91 billion, were up by 7.4 percent in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year and were $161.5 billion in the last 12 months, according to official data.
Over 1 percent of all exports came from aviation and defense sectors.
Meanwhile, Turkey's most exporting industries were automotive, textile and chemicals sectors in the first six-month, at $16.4 billion, $8.8 billion and $8.4 billion, respectively.
Maintained its spot as the top export destination for Turkey's defense sector, over one-third of defense and aviation exports, up 8 percent to $342.94 million in the first six months of this year from $317.6 billion in the same period last year, were made to the U.S.
Germany advanced to second place among top export destinations for the defense and aviation industry, registering a 10 percent increase and amounting to some $116.9 million in the January-June period, up from $106.56 million in the same period last year.
Exports to Oman, which strengthened its inventory with Pars III 8x8 and Pars III 6x6 armored vehicles manufactured by one of Turkey's leading land vehicle manufacturers FNSS Defense Systems, soared from $1.62 million to $81.54 million in the six-month period. Defense and aerospace industry exports to Oman increased 50-fold.
There was also a significant increase in exports to the Netherlands as exports, which were $6.514 million in the first half of last year, increased six-fold, reaching $39.65 million.
Exports to France increased from around $28.83 million in the first half of last year to some $35.97 million in the same period this year, while defense and aviation exports increased by about 25 percent in the said period.
Exports to India in civil aviation declined by nearly 22 percent. In the January-June period last year, exports stood at 44.73 million, but only reached 34.68 million this year.
Also, exports to the U.K. increased by 11 percent from $25.69 million to 28.47 million.
Exports to Azerbaijan, which strengthened its defenses with Turkish defense industry products, rose nearly four-fold in the said period to about $20.68 million, up from some $5.7 million in the first six months of last year.
In addition, aviation and defense industry exports to Senegal, which added Nurol Makina's Ejder TOMA and 4x4 armored combat vehicles Ejder Yalçın to its inventory, increased nearly 24-fold in the said period, reaching $12.3 million, up from $513,000 in the same period last year.
Exports by the local aviation and defense industry to Switzerland in the January-June period rose three-fold to around $10 million, while exports to Qatar saw a three-fold increase to $9.37 million.
Exports to the Philippines doubled in the first half of this year and reached about $8.57 million, while exports to China and Ukraine increased 37-fold and three-fold, reaching $8.38 million and $7.85 million, respectively.
