Today begins the first leg of the well-known African Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (AAD), currently being held in the City of Tshwane – South Africa’s administrative capital.
The Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) is Africa’s only aerospace and defence expo that combines both a trade exhibition and an air show.
Besides the selection of jaw-dropping aerial displays by a diverse range of aircraft, prominent defence companies are expected to showcase their cutting-edge products and capabilities.
Among them is Aselsan. We had the opportunity to speak with ASELSAN’s CEO and President Mr. Ahmet Akyol, who explained the company’s current trajectory, strategies, and aspirations.
Here are his response to our questionnaire.
- 1. Can you provide an overview of ASELSAN’s current strategic priorities and how they align with global defence trends?
ASELSAN, which started its operations with the aim of fulfilling Türkiye’s military communication needs by national means in 1975, has transformed to a global technology company with its proven technologies in the fields of radar and electronic warfare systems, micro-electronic guidance and electro-optical systems, defence system technologies, and communication and information technologies. Besides defence, ASELSAN also stands out in the transportation, security, automation, energy, and healthcare sectors with its cutting edge systems.
We see that global demand for defence systems continues to increase in 2024 as geopolitical instabilities ramp up. As ASELSAN, we are focusing on research & development activities and continuously work for enriching our product portfolio to adress those needs of our friendly and ally countries. We are closely monitoring new trends in the global defence market and the new threats on the battlefield reflecting these changes to our product development processes in all domains.
In addition to developing advanced defence products and systems, we also use our deep engineering know-how and capabilities on modernization projects that attract significant attention from different geographies from Latin America to Southeast Asia, in line with the current global trend of modernizing the military.
In framework of our global expansion strategy, we achieved to increase the number of our foreign offices and subsidiaries to 18 and the number of countries that we export to 88. I believe that these numbers will continue to grow in the coming period, which will reinforce our position in the global defence league.
- 2. How does ASELSAN plan to expand its presence in the African defence market?
We are committed to strengthen our presence in Africa, which is one of the critical markets for ASELSAN. At this point, we give importance to enhancing our collaborations and promoting our customized solutions to potential users in the region. With this aim, we are participating in key defence and aviation events across the continent including AAD, Egypt Airshow, IADE in Tunisia this year, and ShieldAfrica in Ivory Coast, IMDEC in Ghana and EDEX in Egypt in 2025.
In this respect, ASELSAN South Africa have been carrying out marketing and business development activities since 2011, as part of our strategy of growing through global expansion. South Africa’s strategic position as a gateway to the African continent, coupled with its size, economic influence, and advanced infrastructure, makes it an ideal base for expanding our presence across the region.
We aim to address the growing security and defence needs of the countries in the region with our technological solutions, while benefitting to our local partners we collaborate with.
- 3. What are the key factors that have contributed to ASELSAN’s success in becoming one of the top 100 defence companies globally?
In this year, ASELSAN has 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. The company’s remarkable progress is attributed to its development of cutting-edge solutions and export performance. ASELSAN, maintained its solid growth and recorded an extraordinary financial performance for the first half of 2024. According to first half financials, revenues reached 35.7 billion TL (over 1 billion USD) with an 8% growth rate, while net profit grew by 133%, reaching 3.6 billion TL. The new contracts worth 2.6 billion USD brought total backlog of the company to 12.3 billion USD.
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.
However, the level of success we have reached is never enough for us. 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. As we work toward this goal, our core vision is to:
- Develop the best-in class products,
- Create game-changing technologies,
- Grow through global expansion.
- 4. Can you highlight some of ASELSAN’s most innovative products and technologies currently in development?
Since its establishment in 1975, ASELSAN has developed game-changing systems and products across various fields, recognized as the best in their domains. Most of our systems have proven themselves in the field and are continuously improved through daily feedback from our users, especially from our armed forces. Additionally, ASELSAN is 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 aerial vehicles (UAVs), one of the most notable outputs of the Turkish defence industry in recent years, have attracted considerable attention in the international defence sector. ASELSAN plays a major role in enhancing the capabilities of these systems with the payloads it provides for UAVs. Prominent UAV payloads from ASELSAN include ASELFLIR 500/600 electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera systems; guided munitions like TOLUN and TOLUN IIR; guidance kits such as GÖZDE, LGK, KGK, and HGK; electronic warfare pods; signal intelligence and jamming solutions; radars; and communication systems. With its strong presence in this area, ASELSAN is receiving significant interest abroad and is signing international sales contracts.
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. ASELSAN will also design the system-of-systems architecture that will enable the fully integrated operation of command control systems, sensor systems, weapon systems, and communication systems together.
In addition, ASELSAN is also making a name for itself with its work in satellite and space technologies. ASELSAN developed all the communication payloads for the TÜRKSAT-6A project, Türkiye’s first indigenous communication satellite which was successfully launched on July 9. We are also developing national and original high-technology products for the GÖKTÜRK series satellites, which aim to meet the high-resolution imaging needs of our country in both civil and military domains.
- 5. How does ASELSAN approach research and development to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving defence technology landscape?
We are one of the leading companies in Türkiye in terms of R&D investment, number of R&D personnel, patents, and R&D projects. As Türkiye’s R&D leader, we have over 6,700 employees at our nine R&D centers. We put special emphasis on R&D activities and technology acquisition since the foundation of our company.
Each year, we allocate a considerable part of financial and human resources in order to carry out R&D projects containing unique product designs resulting from the evaluation of innovative ideas. Acting on this vision, ASELSAN broke a historical record on external R&D in 2023.
At ASELSAN, in line with our mission to be a leader, we implement innovative management approaches that can compete with the world’s best companies in the field of R&D. We put R&D and innovation at the center of all business process activities from manufacturing to marketing, from supply to management and we see innovation as the key to increasing our competitiveness. Each year we allocate a significant amount of financial and human resources in order to carry out R&D projects containing unique product designs resulting from the evaluation of innovative ideas.
- 6. What products is Aselsan exhibiting at the African Aerospace and Defence Exhibition?
As ASELSAN, we prominently feature our border security systems, counter-drone solutions, critical facility security systems, avionics modernization solutions, communication systems, as well as our unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) payloads, guided munitions, and guidance kits at AAD.
We expect our next-generation electro-optical reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeting system ASELFLIR-500, which has demonstrated outstanding performance in unmanned aerial vehicles and proven itself in the field, to be at the spotlight during the fair. We are also presenting our laser-guided kit GÖZDE which enables high firing accuracy and minimized collateral damage along with our guided munition TOLUN at our stand. Launched from an air platform via a Multiple Carriage Rack (SADAK), TOLUN can be used against both hard and soft ground targets.
İHTAR, designed to counter mini and micro UAVs, a system that can detect, classify, and track these threats and neutralize them using various effectors, including jamming and physical destruction systems is also one of our highlights. In the field of electronic warfare, ILGAR and VURAL radar electronic support system solutions are also among the products featured at our stand.
In addition, we are showcasing MİDAS, a fiber-optic-based, highly sensitive detection system that protects important locations such as critical facilities, national borders, oil/gas pipelines, and energy transmission lines from violations, theft, terrorism, infiltration, sabotage, and espionage activities at AAD. Our border security systems, ACAR-K ground surveillance radar, DORUK-120 handheld electro-optical system, KANGAL jammer subsystem, and YENER modern mine detection system are highlighted at our stand.
Additionally, our vehicle, backpack, airborne and naval radios, interrogators and transponders are showcased as part of our communication solutions.
- 7. How does ASELSAN approach partnerships with local companies in international markets?
As a global defence company, we are paying particular attention to expand our global footprint through international collaborations and our subsidiaries and offices we establish worldwide. We are operating in 18 countries today with our offices and subsidiaries which contribute significantly to strengthen our local partnerships. Our office in South Africa is a remarkable example in that regard by extending ASELSAN’s solutions and capabilities across South Africa and its neighboring countries.
In addition to investments in defence and security in different geographies through our subsidiaries and offices, technology transfer and local capacity development in these areas are also of great importance for us. ASELSAN, considering the needs in its target markets, aims not only to supply products and systems but also to contribute to sustainable development through training, technical support, and local partnerships, ensuring that our innovations contribute to local development and security.
In addition to our technological advancements, we place great importance on social impact and community engagement in the markets we operate. Through these efforts, ASELSAN is not only enhancing regional defence capabilities but also demonstrating a strong commitment to social responsibility and technological collaboration with local partners.
- 8. What are the unique defence needs and challenges faced by African countries, and how can ASELSAN address them?
The increasing security threats in Africa and the need to provide advanced solutions to counter these threats offer ASELSAN the opportunity to introduce its wide range of products to customers in the region, including radar systems, electronic warfare solutions, communication systems, electro-optical systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles. With these products and solutions, ASELSAN aims to help African countries develop their own defence industries and enhance their national security.
Our sales to the African continent are mainly in the fields of border security, air defence, air platforms payloads and jammer systems.
The number of countries we supply our products in Africa has now reached 21 and our sales to the African market has gained considerable momentum in recent years. ASELSAN aims to achieve its long-term goals in the region and contribute to the security of African countries by providing customized solutions for Africa’s defence and security needs.
- 9. What are the key areas of growth and innovation that ASELSAN is focusing on for the future?
As a global technology company, we are making considerable investment for incorporating the new technologies in our operations. 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. The second area we invest in is HPM, high power microwave, which is a challenging technology. ASELSAN also has a gallium nitride chip design and production facility for electronic warfare and radars. Last but not least, we are investing in high power lasers and laser sources. Our 2030 transformation plan also includes digital transformation, management transformation and improvement of mass production in all domains.
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. We will adopt our systems and products to these new trends and protect our leading role in the defence industry both in Türkiye and globally with our state-of-the-art products and solutions.
Of course the backbone of all our success is our devoted and skilled workforce. To realize our future plans, we will continue to invest in our human resources by promoting innovative thinking, backed by the opportunities that we offer our employees to learn and experiment every day.