Ahmet Akyol,President & CEO of Turkish defence major Aselsan, is on a mission – to ensure that the company that he leads is among the top 30 defence firms in the world by 2030.
“It is an achievable goal if we continue our 10 percent growth rate and I am confident that we will,” Akyol says, quiet determination in his voice. “We were 47th on the list last year. This year, we hope to be higher on the list. How high, we will have to wait and see.”
The company’s revenue last year was US$2.5 billion, up from its 2022 numbers. “Our new orders last year were worth US$5 billion,” says Akyol. “We have already reached US$3 billion in the first seven months.
“When orders are better than deliveries, it means we are growing. With our vast range of products, we are equipped to support all platforms, including aircraft, helicopters, tanks, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), submarines, ships and even the space domain. We have a very vibrant and hardworking workforce; the average age of our employees is 34. In the next 30 years, we are going to jump significantly.”
The exponential growth of the Turkish defence industry is one of the major reasons why Akyol is optimistic that Aselsan, producer of military electronics and defence systems, will reach its 2030 goal. “Turkey was earlier known for sub-systems, but over the last 4-5 years, many indigenous Turkish platforms such as aircraft, helicopters, UAVs and ships have been acquired and deployed with our payloads, not only by the Turkish military but also by many international customers. We can therefore showcase our combat-proven products to international customers. That is a big advantage.”
The company, established 49 years ago with just four engineers, is now a military technology giant acknowledged in global circles. “We have 11,000 employees in our company. We also have 18 subsidiaries. All included, we have 14,00 employees. Aselsan is the largest defence company in Turkey, and we serve all platforms and domains. We have 18 international offices and subsidiaries in 16 countries. Sixty three percent of our employees are engineers,” says Akyol.
Surprising as it is for a company of such international stature, Aselsan is making its debut as an exhibitor at Farnborough. “We are now ready to showcase our proven products in the air domain to the international market. The Show offers us a perfect platform for that. We are looking to collaborate with international partners from friendly countries.”
Aselsan is showcasing 50 different payloads at the ongoing Show, in seven different technological areas such as electro-optical reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeting systems, radar systems, guided munitions, integrated avionics systems, communication systems, and electronic warfare (EW) systems. “We can completely equip an aircraft or UAV with our systems. As of today, the company’s products are in use in 88 countries Last year, we added four new countries and also introduced 20 new products.”
One of the major products that the company is highlighting at the biennial event is the combat-proven ASELFLIR-500 electro-optical reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting system. Among the other products is the ALP 300-G Early Warning Radar System, which enhances air defence capabilities with its dual axis AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) technology, and MURAD 110-A AESA nose radar, adaptable for F-16 and other platforms. Also being showcased is the SKYDOME Air Defence System, which provides robust protection against diverse airborne threats.
“We offer products that are not only superior in quality compared to that of the competition but also cost-effective. That is a major reason for our growth. The other differentiating factor is that we are working really hard, as a team.”
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