Türkiye 2027 Defense Budget: 2.2 Trillion Lira and a 229% Rise in Weapons Procurement

Türkiye’s 2027 budget proposal sets aside 2.206 trillion lira (about $44.5 billion) for defense and a further 1.248 trillion lira for internal security, a combined 3.454 trillion lira, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said on 16 October 2026. The biggest change is in hardware: money for weapons, ammunition, weapon systems and other defense equipment in the National Defense Ministry’s budget rises by 229%. The figures are a proposal; parliament’s budget committee starts debating it on 21 October.

Last updated: 17 October 2026

Key figures (2027 proposal)

Defense: 2.206 trillion TL (≈$44.5bn, Anadolu Agency)
Internal security: 1.248 trillion TL (≈$25.2bn)
Combined: 3.454 trillion TL
Equipment procurement in the MSB budget: +229%
Ceilings: Defense Ministry 1.533 tn TL, Police (EGM) 716 bn TL, Gendarmerie 499 bn TL
Total central government budget: 27.276 trillion TL

What did Cevdet Yılmaz announce?

Speaking at the ceremony where the 2027 central government budget was formally bound and sent to parliament, Yılmaz gave the headline numbers, which Anadolu Agency reported in English. “Allocations for purchases of weapons, ammunition, weapons systems and other defense equipment, which constitute a significant portion of defense spending in the National Defense Ministry’s budget, have been increased by 229%,” he said.

Read that figure carefully. The 229% applies to the procurement line inside the ministry’s budget, not to defense spending as a whole. SavunmaSanayiST noted that no breakdown by programme was given, so it is not yet public how much goes to aircraft, missiles, ships or ammunition. The Türkiye Times reported the institutional ceilings: 1.533 trillion lira for the Defense Ministry, 716 billion for the General Directorate of Security (police) and 499 billion for the Gendarmerie, inside a total budget of 27.276 trillion lira.

Chart of Türkiye's defense and internal security budget proposals 2025-2027 — Türkiye’s defense and internal security budget proposals, 2025–2027, in lira (nominal). Infographic: DefenseandTech, based on figures from Cevdet Yılmaz via Anadolu Agency and Defence Turk.

How does 2027 compare with previous years?

In lira terms the jump is large. The table below uses the proposal figures announced each year; percentages are our own calculation and are not adjusted for inflation, which has been high in Türkiye, so the real increase is smaller than the nominal one. Dollar conversions also depend on the exchange rate used: AA put the defense line at about $44.5 billion, SavunmaSanayiST at about $44.6 billion.

Budget year	Defense (TL)	Internal security (TL)	Combined (TL)
2025 (proposal)	913.9 bn	694.5 bn	1.608 tn
2026 (proposal)	1.202 tn	953 bn	2.155 tn
2027 (proposal)	2.206 tn	1.248 tn	3.454 tn
Change 2026→2027 (our nominal calculation)	+83.5%	+31.0%	+60.3%

For international context, see our ranking of the top 10 defense budgets of 2026. National budget figures and NATO or SIPRI spending estimates use different definitions and should not be mixed.

What could the money buy?

The government did not list programmes, but the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) has set out its delivery targets. SSB President Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün’s 2026 goals, reported by Hürriyet, included the first KIZILELMA delivery, a serial production contract for the KAAN fighter, the first TB3 deliveries, 22 HÜRKUŞ trainers and serial production of the AKYA torpedo. Recent contracts point the same way, such as the ÇAKIR cruise missile procurement and the layered Steel Dome air defense programme.

Some foreign dependency remains and is worth stating plainly. KAAN prototypes and early aircraft fly with General Electric F110 engines until the domestic TEI-TRMotor TF35000 is ready, and the first ALTAY tanks use a South Korean-sourced powerpack. Domestic engine work is under way for both. More on KAAN in our KAAN guide and at Envanter Medya; for the current fleet, see what fighter jets Turkey has.

Exports

Yılmaz also cited export growth: defense and aerospace exports rose from $248 million in 2002 to $10.05 billion in 2025, a fortyfold increase. Export deals such as the DASAL loitering munitions deal with Nigeria feed the same industrial base that domestic procurement funds.

Frequently asked questions

What is Türkiye’s defense budget for 2027?

The proposal sets 2.206 trillion lira (about $44.5 billion) for defense and 1.248 trillion lira for internal security, 3.454 trillion lira in total.

What does the 229% increase refer to?

Allocations for weapons, ammunition, weapon systems and other defense equipment in the National Defense Ministry’s budget, not total defense spending.