Five Turkish Companies Named Among the World’s Top 100 Defense Companies

Five Turkish companies have been included in Defense News’ list of the world’s top 100 defense companies, with combined defense revenues of $14.9 billion in 2026.

ASELSAN ranked first among the Turkish companies, climbing from 43rd to 40th place globally after its defense revenues jumped from $3.54 billion to around $4.46 billion, marking 26% growth. The company remains a key player in Turkey’s electronics, radar, and air defense sectors.

ARKA Defense made the biggest splash for Turkey this year by entering the list for the first time, ranking directly at 53rd place, with revenues reaching $3 billion compared with just $653 million a year earlier — a 4.6-fold increase in just 12 months.

This made ARKA Defense one of the fastest-growing companies ever recorded on the global list.

ROKETSAN climbed seven places, from 71st to 64th, with revenues of $2.37 billion, up 18%.

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) ranked 48th, with revenues of $3.65 billion, up 16%.

The Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) ranked 81st, with revenues of $1.42 billion, up 18%.

Meanwhile, US defense giant Lockheed Martin retained the top spot worldwide with $72.1 billion in revenue, followed by RTX with $46 billion, General Dynamics with $39.4 billion, Northrop Grumman with $37 billion, and the UK’s BAE Systems with $36 billion.

Gulf markets are considered the biggest customers for Turkish defense companies, ranging from drones and frigates to air defense systems.

The sharp rise in these companies’ revenues means they now have greater capacity to invest in development and production, as well as build deeper industrial partnerships with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar that go beyond simply buying equipment to include joint manufacturing and technology transfers.