Turkey’s SSB Turns 41: Projects Up From 62 to 1,500, Defence Exports From $248 Million to $10 Billion
Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) marked its 41st anniversary on 7 November 2026. According to SSB, the number of defence projects rose from 62 in 2002 to about 1,500, and total project volume from $5.5 billion to more than $100 billion. SSB head Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün described the institution’s path as a shift from procurement to technology exports.
Görgün said the results came from strong institutions, skilled people and a shared working culture: “We have gone from a Turkey that once only procured, to a Turkey that designs, develops, produces, integrates and exports.”
The institution’s path since 1985
The agency was founded in 1985 as the Defence Industry Development and Support Administration. It became the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries in 1989 and the Presidency of Defence Industries in 2018.
SSB says needs were met mainly by off-the-shelf imports until the 1990s, co-production models came to the fore in the 1990s, and procurement based on domestic design and original development gained weight afterwards. It cites a 2004 Defence Industry Executive Committee meeting chaired by President Erdoğan as one turning point.
2002 versus today
| Indicator | 2002 | Today |
|---|---|---|
| Number of projects | 62 | About 1,500 |
| Number of companies | 56 | More than 4,000 |
| Total project volume | $5.5 billion | Over $100 billion (including projects at tender stage) |
| Sector turnover | About $1.1 billion | About $25 billion |
| Annual R&D spending | $49 million | Over $3.5 billion |
| Local content | About 20% | Over 80% |
| Defence and aerospace exports | $248 million | $10.054 billion (2025) |
| Sector employment | — | Over 135,000 (about 81,000 in 2022) |
SSB also cited a target of 158,000 jobs by 2028. Görgün stressed that Turkey has gained original capabilities across a wide range, from unmanned aerial vehicles and national warships to air defence systems and electronic warfare.
Exports up about 40-fold
According to SSB, defence and aerospace exports rose from $248 million in 2002 to $10.054 billion in 2025, roughly a 40-fold increase. Growth continued in 2026: October exports reached $1.14 billion, up 61% year on year. Exports for January–October stood at $8.05 billion, and the trailing 12-month total at $11.357 billion.
The agency says exports over the past 14 years reached about $55 billion by the end of October, of which more than $30 billion came in 2023–2026. Those four years account for over 55% of the total.
“A model with few equivalents in the world”
Görgün said SSB has moved beyond procurement to bring requirement owners, public bodies, the private sector and universities together around shared goals, and that other countries now look to this model.
“No task is unimportant, no effort is invisible.”
He stressed that every project depends on many people, from needs analysis and design to contracting, testing and delivery, and said work would continue toward a fully independent defence industry.
Source: Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), 41st anniversary press release, 7 November 2026.
