Görgün Links Patent Filings to Defence Technology Base

August 16, 2026 - 22:08

Haluk Görgün, the head of the Secretariat of Defence Industries, has pointed to a sharp rise in national patent filings as evidence that Turkey's defence sector is moving beyond assembly and into genuine technology development. Speaking at an industry event, Görgün framed the numbers as a direct measure of how far the country's military-industrial base has matured over the past decade.

According to Görgün, the number of domestic patent applications related to defence technologies has grown several-fold since 2015. He credited this jump to a deliberate policy shift that pushed local firms to invest in original research and development rather than rely on licensed production or reverse engineering. "We are no longer just building systems under licence. The patents show that our engineers are creating new solutions, new materials, and new software layers," he said.

The official also noted that R&D spending in the defence sector now accounts for a significant share of the overall national research budget. He argued that this investment is paying off in tangible ways, from drone avionics to radar components and propulsion systems. Görgün stressed that the goal is not simply to file more patents, but to turn those patents into production lines and export revenue.

He acknowledged that challenges remain, particularly in commercialising research and protecting intellectual property abroad. Still, he expressed confidence that the current trajectory would allow Turkey to compete with established defence exporters in the coming years. The remarks come as Ankara continues to push for greater self-sufficiency in critical military technologies, a priority that has gained urgency amid ongoing supply chain restrictions and geopolitical tensions.