ISTANBUL

Türkiye's defense and aerospace industry exports reached $8.5 billion this year, the country's defense industries chief announced Thursday.

Türkiye's Defense Industries Secretary Haluk Gorgun spoke at the 7th Defense Industry Meetings, organized by the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) and SAHA Istanbul to contribute to the national and domestic structure of Türkiye's defense industry, bringing together different segments of the sector.

This year's summit addressed the topics of "Supply Chain and Sustainability."

Turkish defense giant Roketsan's CEO Murat Ikinci stated that the external dependence rate of Turkish defense industry fell to 20%, from around 80%.

Responding to a question about the export target for the defense sector next year, Murat Ikinci said, "I think it would be accurate to say that it will exceed $10 billion. It's constantly increasing. This year it increased by over 30%, and we frankly want to maintain a similar rate next year as well."