 shows that Turkey’s arms exports increased by 103 percent in 2020-2024 since the previous five-year period, making it the 11th top exporter of arms worldwide.){kind=link}
A new report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that Turkey’s arms exports increased by 103 percent in 2020-2024 since the previous five-year period, making it the 11th top exporter of arms worldwide.
According to the report Turkey’s arms exports surged by 103 percent from 2015-2019 to 2020–2024, while its share of global arms exports stood at 1.7 percent in the same period, making it the 11th largest exporter in the world among the 25 largest exporters of major arms as documented by SIPRI.
During the 2015-19 period, Turkey’s share of global arms exports was 0.8 percent.
The United Arab Emirates was the leading recipient of Turkish arms, accounting for 18 percent of Turkey’s exports during this period. Pakistan and Qatar followed, with 10 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively.
The Turkish government says it is working to reduce Turkey’s dependence on foreign countries for arms and military equipment by investing more in the national defense industry, which has boomed over the past years. Turkey is now one of the world’s main exporters of armed drones.
Drones developed by Turkish defense contractor Baykar, whose chairman Selçuk Bayraktar is the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have been exported to at least 35 countries and have been used in conflicts in Azerbaijan and Libya in addition to Ukraine. Many say the company owes its success to Erdoğan, who personally promotes Baykar drones during his visits to foreign countries, as a result of which agreements worth of millions of dollars are signed.
The company ranks among Turkey’s top 10 exporters across all industries. According to the Center for a New American Security, Turkey produces 65 percent of global UAV exports, with Baykar representing about 60 percent of Turkey’s share. The company exports more than 90 percent of its products to 35 countries.
Turkey’s arms imports decreased by 33 percent between 2015–19 and 2020–24, reducing its share of global arms imports from 1.7 percent to 1.1 percent. Spain was the largest supplier to Turkey, contributing 34 percent of the country’s total arms imports, followed by Italy with 24 percent and Germany with 19 percent.
The SIPRI report also shows how emerging arms suppliers, including Turkey, are using exports to boost their influence in West Africa. From 2020-24, Turkey and Russia were the third-largest arms suppliers to West African countries, each accounting for 11 percent of the region’s imports, following China and France.
SIPRI’s report comes as Baykar faces allegations of secretly supplying $120 million worth of drones and warheads to the Sudanese military despite international sanctions. A recent Washington Post report, based on leaked documents, messages and financial records, details how Baykar supplied at least eight TB2 drones and 600 warheads to Sudan in 2023. The shipments, which included technical support, were routed through intermediaries and reached military bases amid Sudan’s ongoing civil war.
Baykar has previously been linked to large arms exports but has not publicly commented on the alleged sales to Sudan. The shipments appear to have violated US and European Union arms embargoes, which prohibit military sales to warring parties in Sudan.
Ukraine largest arms importer
According to the report, Ukraine became the world’s largest importer of major arms in the 2020–24 period, with its imports increasing nearly 100 times over compared to 2015–19 in the wake of Russia’s war on the country since February 2022. European arms imports overall grew by 155 percent between the same periods, as states responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and uncertainty over the future of US foreign policy. The United States further increased its share of global arms exports to 43 percent, while Russia’s exports fell by 64 percent, according to the report.
SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public.