Turkish Defense Exports Increase 18-Fold In 20 Years To Reach $4.4Bln - Erdogan

Turkey's defense exports increased almost 18 times over the past 20 years, reaching a record $4.4 billion in 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th January, 2023) Turkey's defense exports increased almost 18 times over the past 20 years, reaching a record $4.4 billion in 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

"Even 20 years ago, Turkey's exports of defense products amounted to $248 million, while in 2022 this figure reached a record $4.4 billion," Turkish news agency Anadolu quoted Erdogan as saying at a ceremony of transferring domestic Firtina (Storm) self-propelled howitzers to the country's armed forces.

The budget for scientific and technical developments of Turkey's defense industry also increased from $49 million to $1.5 billion, the Turkish leader added, according to the media outlet.

At the same time, Erdogan said that Turkey "aims to minimize its dependence on arms imports by relying on the domestic defense industry." This will eliminate the problem of weapons licensing and increase the efficiency of the country's armed forces, the Turkish leader added.