ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s annual defense and aerospace exports have surpassed the $4 billion mark for the first time, according to Ismail Demir, who leads the country’s defense procurement agency.

Demir made the announcement Dec. 23 on Twitter along with a video from the Presidency of Defence Industries, or SSB.

The Turkish Exporters’ Assembly put the country’s defense and aerospace exports in the period between January and November at $3.77 billion, up 35.7% from $2.778 billion in the same period of 2021.

The umbrella organization for Turkish exports said monthly defense and aerospace exports during October 2022 were worth $464 million, and during November were worth $503 million.

Earlier this year, Ozgur Eksi, a defense analyst in Ankara, told Defense News that the increasing trend in exports “should be attributed primarily to aerospace, and homemade drones in particular.

Local company Baykar, which makes the TB2 Bayraktar drone, has sold the aircraft to 27 countries. Selcuk Bayraktar, the company’s chief technical officer, said Dec. 22 that exports make up 98% of the firm’s 2022 revenue.

The export of Turkish land vehicles in 2022 was worth $428 million, although the official yearend number may exceed this. BMC, an armored vehicles manufacturer, led Turkey’s land vehicle exports this year, accounting for 45% of foreign sales in this sector.