Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol says as Türkiye’s leading defence company and a global technology company, “we will be closely monitoring the changing scene, new trends and threats in the global warfare and on the battlefield in the coming years.” Excerpts...
To read the full article, please log in or enter your email below:
Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol says as Türkiye’s leading defence company and a global technology company, “we will be closely monitoring the changing scene, new trends and threats in the global warfare and on the battlefield in the coming years.”
Excerpts from the interview.
We witnessed the keen interest of lham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, in Aselsan’s products during his visit to the show?
Aselsan is not new to Azerbaijan. We have been here for several years, and we are the main suppliers of military communication and information systems to the armed forces of Azerbaijan. Now we some interest from Azerbaijan in our Aselflir-500 high-performance new generation 15” electro-optical reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting system designed for fixed and rotary wing airborne platforms. Discussions are underway. Azerbaijan is also showing interest in guided munitions such as our Tolun. Tolun can be engaged against soft and hardened multiple targets simultaneously.
What are the key factors that assisted in extraordinary financial performance for the first half of 2024?
We are one of the fastest growing companies in the world. We made a significant leap in the annual “TOP 100 Defence Companies List” of Defense News climbing to 42nd position, up from 47th in the last year’s list. This achievement underscores Aselsan’s strong commitment to global expansion strategy and innovation in the defence sector. We are also investing for future technologies, at the same time we are providing solutions for innovative technologies.
Our vision is to make something better than others in terms of technology. We understand the customers’ needs and we are thoughtful of those needs. We have placed innovation at the center of every single piece of our work as we develop advanced technological solutions in all military domains ranging from deep ocean to the space. Our portfolio of over 500 products, most of which are field-proven, is constantly adapted to changing technology requirements of our customers worldwide in line with their feedbacks. As part of our strategic vision that we name AselsaneXt 2030, we have set a goal to be among the top 30 companies in the world by 2030.
What are the ares of focus for Aselsan?
We are focused on developing new products which will support our global growth and respond to emerging needs that have become increasingly important with the new challenges in the battlefield. Unmanned systems are one of the top priorities. Unmanned aerial vehicles, one of the most notable outputs of the Turkish defence industry in recent years, have attracted considerable attention in the international defence sector. We are one of the top players in enhancing the capabilities of these systems with payloads such as electro-optical reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting systems namely Aselflir-500 and Tolun guided munitions.
You are also investing heavily on air defence technologies.
Aselsan added air defense early warning and command control system (HERİKKS) and air defense radar products to its air defense system solutions, which started with the Stinger joint production program about 30 years ago and continued with the pedestal mounted Stinger (KMS) project. In this sense, Aselsan has achieved the success of providing solutions in this field to the armies of the world, especially the Turkish Armed Forces, by producing complete systems that include the three cornerstones of the air defence system, weapons, sensors and command control.
Our success and ambition in the fields of electronic warfare, radar, and air defence have recently gained the support of our government, leading to the emergence of the Steel Dome concept, with Aselsan at its core. The focus of the Steel Dome will be on developing infrastructures that will ensure the real-time and integrated operation of the systems involved in air defence. With its strong presence in this area, Aselsan is receiving significant interest abroad and is signing international sales contracts.
What can we expect from Aselsan in the future?
We are expanding our international business this year. We just added a new country for international offices. We are focusing on international collaborations for our future with countries, especially in Middle East and the central Asia and in the East Europe and Africa and also in East Asian countries. Collaborations and joint ventures are the key. Building technology together is our policy. We are always open to making something together locally.
We have set a strategic roadmap for our technological improvement. Just to name a few of the future technologies we invest on, I can mention quantum computing. We are making long-term investments in quantum computing with the laboratory we have built in the fields of quantum communication, crypto side, quantum lidar and quantum radar. We are aiming to increase our international presence and marketing activities and value addition for users.
So we are transforming from the Turkish national defence to an international company. We aim to become the third largest defence company in the world by 2030…we now have six years.
The transfer of the business operations of Piaggio Aero Industries and Piaggio Aviation—both under extraordinary administration and operating collectively as…
Mexicana, Mexico’s state-owned airline, has received its first E195-E2 aircraft from Embraer. The aircraft departed Embraer’s headquarters for Mexico earlier…
8tree has announced that its dentCHECK tool is being trialled by Squadron 435 of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)…
BOC Aviation Limited has appointed Yogesh Farswani as Head of OEM Strategy and Procurement, effective 1 July 2025. In this…
Exail has been awarded a defence contract by a European country for the supply of five DriX H-8 uncrewed surface…
Ireland-based ECT Aviation has acquired its first Britten-Norman BN2T-4S Islander aircraft to support the launch of dedicated cargo operations between…
Constellation Technologies & Operations has rebranded as UNIVITY and launched its first in-orbit technology demonstrator, marking the transition from early…
Indra recently held the Indra NGWS Technology Marketplace, where 14 Spanish companies, universities, and research centres presented 17 technology projects…
Qantas Airways has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR, making it the Asia-Pacific launch operator for the long-range single-aisle…
The Indonesian Ministry of Defence (Kementerian Pertahanan Republik Indonesia - Kemhan RI) is advancing efforts to strengthen national defence capabilities…
Eve Air Mobility has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Costa Rica-based Aerosolutions, which is developing an eVTOL operator…
The Eurofighter Radar Mk1 Consortium, comprising HENSOLDT and Indra, has completed production of the first radar units incorporating newly developed…
Embraer has signed a new maintenance contract with regional airline CommuteAir for its recently established Commercial Aviation facility at Perot…
BBN Airlines Indonesia, part of the Avia Solutions Group, has obtained the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification, a recognised…
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has announced an investment in Arceon, a Netherlands-based developer of high-performance ceramic composites. The…
Terma has appointed Steen Hommel as its new Executive Vice President for Public Affairs, Communication and Partnerships, effective 1 August…
Airbus Defence and Space has completed a series of test drops and demonstrations of its A400M firefighting demonstrator kit at…
Fincantieri has received a contract to construct two additional PPA (Pattugliatore Polivalente d’Altura) Multipurpose Combat Ships for the Italian Navy,…
Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN), a joint venture between Fincantieri (51%) and Leonardo (49%), has signed the Through Life Sustainment Management…
Lufthansa Technik and Calgary Airports on Wednesday celebrated the groundbreaking of a new state-of-the-art engine maintenance facility at YYC Calgary…
Startical, a joint venture between ENAIRE and Indra, has launched its second test satellite, IOD-2, from Vandenberg Space Force Base…
New Horizon Aircraft, doing business as Horizon Aircraft, has announced a design collaboration with Andrea Mocellin to further develop the…
Supacat Asia Pacific has entered into a strategic alliance agreement with ISTEC Services Limited, a UK-based company with over three…
BlackSky Technology has won a more than US$24 million, four-year, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Luno A Facility Operational Monitoring (FOMO)…
Embraer on Tuesday opened its new commercial MRO facilities at the Perot Field Alliance Airport in Fort Worth, Texas. The…
Aircraft Propeller Service has opened a state-of- the-art MRO facility in Malaysia to serve the country and Asia Pacific region.…
The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has ordered two more Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft, bringing…
Exail has been awarded a contract to provide the Indonesian Navy with several Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) and Mine Identification…
The Israel Ministry of Defence is preparing to increase the production rate of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) armored platforms,…
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is interested in becoming a part of the U.S Golden Dome program. At an event that…
Headquartered in Singapore with reporters spread across all major regions, GBP Aerospace & Defence is a leading media house that publishes three publications that serve the aerospace and defence sector - Asian Defence Technology, Asian Airlines & Aerospace and Daily News. Known industry-wide for quality journalism, GBP Aerospace & Defence is present at more international tradeshows and exhibitions than any other competing publication in the region.
For over three decades, our award-winning team of reporters has been producing top-notch content to help readers stay abreast of the latest developements in the field of commercial aviation, MRO, defence, and Space.
Copyright 2024. GBP. All Rights Reserved.
Home Defence & Security Space Commercial Aviation Maintence Repair & Overhaul Daily News Events About Us
2025 GBP all rights reserved.