Access to global markets is no longer an additional option for Turkey’s defense industry, but has become a condition for maintaining and developing its growth, according to Muttalip Tütüncü, Secretary-General of the Turkish Defense and Aerospace Industries Association, SAHA İstanbul. Tütüncü said that the Turkish industry has so far grown under domestic-market conditions, but that continuing along this path requires securing a larger share of the global market.
Tütüncü made the remarks while appearing at the Anadolu Agency Technology Office, in a feature prepared with the contribution of ROKETSAN. His remarks highlight the role of small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector’s next phase of development, rather than limiting growth to major contractors or large defense platforms.
An industrial association focused on small companies
SAHA İstanbul was established in 2015 with the participation of 27 companies and now has more than 1,400 members, more than 80% of them small and medium-sized enterprises, according to Tütüncü. The association describes its growth as organic, stemming from the sector’s dynamics rather than from an artificial campaign to expand the number of members.
According to the remarks, the association’s mission is to support small companies within the domestic ecosystem and help them integrate into international supply chains. For this purpose, SAHA İstanbul provides sectoral training through SAHA Akademi and runs two MBA programs in cooperation with TÜBİTAK TÜSSİDE and Middle East Technical University, in addition to programs preparing local companies to participate in the global aviation sector.
From subcontractor to independent exporter
Tütüncü believes that small and medium-sized enterprises are not expected to manufacture large defense platforms, because this field requires extensive financial and technical capabilities and falls primarily within the scope of major contractors. The more realistic path for them is to develop high-tech, low-cost, fast-consumption products that can be marketed directly in international markets.
He noted that the requirements for a company to enter the defense sector include intent and commitment, possessing an appropriate manufacturing structure, and obtaining the competency and facility security certificates required by the Ministry of National Defense, in addition to registering in the YETEN Capability Inventory Program affiliated with the Presidency of Defense Industries. In his assessment, the main problem is not a shortage of talent, but companies’ ability to sell their capabilities outside the domestic market.
He also discussed the concept of “cooperative competition” among the association’s members, meaning coordinating roles among Turkish companies in foreign tenders instead of competing in a way that weakens their collective chances.
Exports and localization under the pressure of technological speed
Tütüncü referred to Turkey’s defense exports exceeding the threshold of $10 billion and to five Turkish companies entering the Defense News ranking this year, all of them members of the SAHA İstanbul Board of Directors. But he warned that current success, particularly in unmanned aircraft, does not guarantee continued superiority as developments in artificial intelligence accelerate.
According to the remarks, Turkish companies account for approximately 60 to 65% of unmanned aircraft sold globally, while the localization rate in Turkey’s defense industry has exceeded 80%. Nevertheless, some critical technologies still depend on foreign supply, meaning that the localization process has not ended.
Why does this news matter?
The transformation described by SAHA İstanbul is not the launch of a new product, but rather a redefinition of the source of growth in Turkey’s industry: moving from reliance on domestic demand and major platforms to exporting specialized components and solutions produced by small and medium-sized enterprises. This also includes dual-use solutions, such as employing unmanned-aircraft camera technologies in civilian security products.
Tütüncü’s remarks point to the expanding connection between defense, civil aviation, and space. He mentioned that SAHA İstanbul is working to involve small companies in the space sector within realistic economic limits, coinciding with Antalya hosting the 77th International Astronautical Congress from October 5 to 9. He also noted that propulsion, navigation, radar, and imaging technologies developed for defense can support Turkey’s entry into the space sector.
This vision remains linked to clear challenges: companies’ ability to turn technical competence into international sales, maintaining progress amid the acceleration of artificial intelligence, and reducing dependence on imported critical technologies. As for the reference to strategic defense cooperation negotiations with Canada, it shows that international relations and supply chains have become a direct part of the sector’s growth strategy, but the article does not establish that a final agreement has been concluded.