The "national move" in defense has brought gains to Turkey.

In recent years, the rapid increase in the rate of domestic and national production in Turkey's defense industry has led to a significant decrease in the country's military spending as a percentage of GDP. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Turkey focused on increasing its defense spending in the early 2000s to strengthen its regional and global influence. However, with the development of the domestic and national defense industry, the ratio of military spending to economic growth has declined over the years.

DEPENDENCE ON IMPORTS LED TO HIGH COSTS

In 2001, Turkey's defense spending amounted to 7.2 billion dollars, which corresponded to 3.6% of Turkey's GDP that year. At that time, the defense industry faced high costs due to its significant dependence on imports.

This ratio, which rose to 3.8% in 2002, began to decline in the following years thanks to the increase in domestic production capacity. By 2023, although Turkey's defense spending had risen to 17 billion dollars, the ratio of this spending to GDP had decreased to 1.5%. The use of domestic and national technologies in the country's defense played a significant role in this decline. Thus, economic costs decreased, and the burden of military spending on the budget lightened.

A NUMBER OF NATIONAL PROJECTS HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED

The "nationalization" process of the Turkish defense industry has reduced dependence on imports by enabling the domestic production of many military technologies. Particularly, many strategic products such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UCAVs), armored land vehicles, national ships, missiles, and radar systems are now produced with domestic resources. Leading these projects are UAV/UCAV projects such as Bayraktar TB2, Bayraktar Akıncı, Anka, and Aksungur. These have been supported by munitions, missiles, weapon systems, national ships, and military land vehicles. Many critical subsystems have also been localized.

Domestic production has significantly reduced import costs while also providing strategic autonomy by decreasing dependence on imports. While 50% of Turkey's military and defense spending consisted of imports between 1970 and 1979, this ratio fell below 10% after 2000. The rate of domestic production in the defense industry was 20% in 2002, while this rate reached 75-80% in 2023. This success not only greatly reduced the cost of foreign purchases but also increased the capacity of domestic firms to produce technology.

DEFENSE EXPORTS REACHED 5.5 BILLION DOLLARS

According to data from the Turkish Exporters Assembly, Turkey's defense exports also showed growth during this process, rising from 250 million dollars in 2002 to 5.5 billion dollars in 2023. This demonstrates the contribution of domestic production to the country's economy.

DEPENDENCE ON IMPORTS HAS DECREASED THANKS TO DOMESTIC PRODUCTS

The increase in domestic and national technologies has not only reduced costs but also enabled Turkey to become a more independent actor in its defense industry. The development of national technologies has contributed to strengthening national security by reducing dependence on imports for critical systems in the inventory. Additionally, the technologies obtained through domestic production have increased Turkey's defense exports, generating foreign currency for the country and contributing to economic growth. Defense industry projects have positively impacted Turkey's military, economic, and technological development while also affecting the number of businesses and employment in this field in a favorable manner.