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Türkiye is ready to deepen defense industry cooperation with Saudi Arabia, drawing on a portfolio worth approximately $120 billion and more than 1,400 projects, the country's top defense industry official said Thursday, highlighting opportunities for joint production, technology transfer and research.
Haluk Gorgun, head of Türkiye's defense industry authority (SSB), made the remarks at the Türkiye-Saudi Arabia Defense Industry Days in Istanbul, organized by the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye (DEIK), defense industry cluster SAHA Istanbul and Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI).
"With our nearly 4,500 defense SMEs, over 1,400 projects, a roughly $120 billion portfolio, and our president's mandate, we are ready to take every step we can develop together," Gorgun said.
He said Türkiye had developed a strong defense industry ecosystem over the past two decades under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and was prepared to share its experience through partnerships with friendly countries.
Saudi Minister of State and Acting Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) Bandar Al-Khorayef, Turkish Deputy Industry and Technology Minister Cetin Ali Donmez and Istanbul Governor Davut Gul also attended the event.
Gorgun said Turkish officials had held 75 meetings with their Saudi counterparts over the past three and a half years, including representatives of GAMI, SAMI and the General Authority for Defense Development (GADD).
He said Turkish defense companies were working with Saudi partners to support Riyadh's Vision 2030 objective of localizing at least 50% of defense production.
The discussions have also focused on identifying priority areas and establishing defense centers of excellence under the Saudi development program, he added.
Khorayef emphasized that relations between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia extended beyond industrial cooperation, citing their shared interests and collaboration through the G20 and the Mecca agreement.
The Saudi minister said his country's defense industry localization rate had increased from 4% to 27%, with a target of reaching 50% under Vision 2030.
He identified technology transfer and long-term partnerships as key elements of that transition.
Khorayef also highlighted Saudi Arabia's investment incentives and efforts to develop an internationally competitive defense industry supported by research, development and technological cooperation.
SAHA Istanbul Vice Chairman and Roketsan CEO Murat Ikinci said closer defense cooperation would support both countries' industrial development and technological advancement.
He said the Mecca agreement had demonstrated the political commitment necessary to advance concrete projects involving joint production and technology transfer.
Ikinci stressed that bilateral cooperation should extend beyond major defense manufacturers to include small and medium-sized enterprises, subcontractors and technology startups.
He said SAHA Istanbul, which has more than 1,300 member companies, was Europe's largest technology cluster.
According to Ikinci, joint research and development in autonomous systems, integrated air and missile defense, propulsion technologies and space systems could produce results for both countries.
Deputy Industry and Technology Minister Donmez highlighted the expansion of Türkiye's manufacturing and technology sectors, saying annual exports had approached $300 billion, with manufacturing accounting for approximately $260 billion.
He said high-technology exports had increased 87.5% since the pandemic, while the share of high- and medium-high-technology products in total exports had reached 44.2%.
Türkiye's total research and development expenditure had climbed to $24.8 billion, exceeding 1.5% of national income, with approximately 318,000 people employed in R&D activities, Donmez added.
He said defense and aerospace exports had risen from $248 million in 2002 to more than $10 billion, with the sector employing over 100,000 skilled workers across more than 4,000 organizations.
Donmez also highlighted government support for the defense industry, saying the ministry had issued more than 1,200 investment incentive certificates for the sector.
He said 80 defense R&D centers received ₺71 billion in state support last year, while the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK) provided ₺65 billion to more than 2,200 defense projects and over 4,000 researchers.
Istanbul Governor Gul, meanwhile, emphasized the city's position as a major international trade center and praised SAHA Istanbul for strengthening defense industry cooperation.
He said the cluster had helped transfer Türkiye's accumulated defense expertise to domestic institutions and international partners.
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