Defense exports rise in 2016: Statistics

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

This photo shows armored military vehicles produced by Turkey’s state defense industry giant stationed on the Uruguay border after being exported.

Turkish defense exports rose 30 percent in the first two months of the year compared to the same period last year, according to statistics released by the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly on March 11.

The country’s defense exports for January and February were valued at over $255.9 million, a 30 percent increase compared with $196.4 million in the same period last year.        

The U.S. remained Turkey’s largest customer, with $87.4 million, accounting for 34 percent of defense exports. It was followed by Germany with $30.4 million and the United Arab Emirates at around $25.8 million.
       
The defense exports included aircrafts and helicopter parts, engines, armored land vehicles, speed boats, missiles, rockets, launching platforms, command and control systems, light weapons, light weaponry and electronic systems including transmitters, simulators, sensors and military software.        

Defense industry products made up only 1.3 percent of overall total exports, which were valued at $20.4 billion in the first two months of 2016.

The release of the numbers came days after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announced the approval of $5.9 billion in new defense projects, $4.5 billion of which will consist of domestic production, by the country’s defense industry executive committee. 

“We today approved $5.9 billion worth of new defense projects. Around $4.5 billion worth of these projects will consist of local production,” he said on March 9.