Turkey’s defense industry exports value up slightly in 2015

The U.S. was the largest purchaser of Turkish defense hardware with 40 percent of the country’s total defense exports, worth a total of $182 million. Other major markets were Malaysia with $54 million, and Spain, which spent around $33.5 million.

The top export items were aircraft and helicopter parts, engines, armored land vehicles, speed boats, missiles, rockets, launch platforms, light weapons and electronic systems including transmitters, simulators, sensors and software.

Defense industry products make up only 1 percent of total exports, which were valued at $49 billion in the first four months of 2014.

Turkey’s exports in the defense and aviation industries combined reached $1.6 billion in 2014, up from $1.4 billion in 2013.