The second quarter of this year saw increasing defense industry exports for Türkiye, a senior government official told Anadolu Agency (AA) at the latest edition of Teknofest, seen bringing together thousands of enthusiasts and illustrating the country's meteoric rise in the sector.

Haluk Görgün, the head of Türkiye's Defense Industry Agency (SBB), said the country had achieved record defense industry exports in April-June, optimistic that another all-time high would follow in the third quarter.

Speaking to AA in the capital Ankara during the five-day edition of Türkiye's largest tech fair, Teknofest, Görgün said the country would fulfill its year-end defense exports target of $6 billion (TL 160.20 billion).

"We're making progress in terms of product diversity and increasing the number of countries we export to, and the coming days will bring very good news on exports," Görgün said, adding that Turkish defense industry exports included both platforms and subsystems, which are sold separately.

He also pointed to the surging interest in Teknofest, and its dozens of competitions, ranging from novel electric car races and jet engine design to environmentally friendly agricultural, industrial and energy tech.

Temel Kotil, head of the state-run Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI), echoed that the sector is on track to reach the $6 billion export target, including $1 billion by TAI.

"Türkiye is creating a revolution in the field of exports," Kotil stressed.

According to Özgür Güleryüz, who runs another defense industry company, STM, Teknofest is crucial in showing that the country's defense industry moves as a single body.

"All companies are here, together, we are working very hard to create a little more excitement in our people, to attract their interest and to make them feel a little pride," he told AA.

Mehmet Akif Nacar, the general manager of the defense firm Havelsan, said Teknofest Ankara has drawn massive crowds.

"As Havelsan, it really excites us to meet with our citizens and share information about our projects," he told AA, stressing Teknofest's role in generating human resources for the country's future.

Ahmet Akyol, chief of the Ankara-based defense giant Aselsan, said Teknofest is very important to the younger generation, whose participation in these events at an early age is critical in achieving progress in the sector.

"Together with our new generation of young people and children, we will carry the Turkish defense industry further under the leadership of the Defense Industry Agency," Akyol said.

Murat Ikinci, head of Turkish missile producer Roketsan, said the energy and constructiveness in Teknofest is the most important indicator of the robust power, energy and human resources that the Turkish defense industry needs.

"As defense industry institutions, we support the work our children do in this field as much as we can and try to help them reach higher levels and higher achievements," he said.

Space travelers at Teknofest

Apart from high-state officials and leading defense firms' participation, Teknofest in Ankara also saw the country's first would-be space travelers, Alper Gezeravcı and Tuva Cihangir Atasever, joining the crowd at Etimesgut Airport.

Speaking to AA, Gezeravcı delved into his preparations for the upcoming space journey and said that his 14-day mission to low-Earth orbit will include scientific experiments.

Training began in the U.S. in 2023 and continues, including training in Japan and Germany, he noted.

He said the Turkish Space Agency will launch him into space at the end of 2023.

"My limit of dreams was the sky, the sky that I could see with my bare eyes and aircraft, so that's the moments of the next journey," he said.

Türkiye selected Gezeravcı and Atasever as the country's first space travelers in Teknofest's Istanbul edition earlier this year.