Page 10 - ADT AUGUST 2021 Online Magazine

name a few have been increasingly successful
in exporting their defence products.

Credible Capability
Turkey initially focussed on building a strong
domestic defence base and this has resulted [ COVER STORY ]
in indigenously developed defence products
from Turkish defence companies now meeting
65 percent of the nation’s defence needs as
opposed to approximately 20 percent, nearly
two decades ago. Aselsan has emerged as a
major defence exporter and inked contracts
with six new countries in 2020. Aselsan’s turn-
over increased by 24% in 2020 compared to
2019, exceeding 16 billion TL. Showing greater
levels of indigenisation within Turkish defence
industry, Aselsan nearly doubled its level of
sourcing from in-country defence suppliers to
over 70% in 2020 as compared to 38% in 2019.

With a focus on developing state-of-the-art
military equipment and products, Turkish mis-
sile specialist Roketsan has plans to increase
its turnover to USD1 billion by 2023. Following
the retirement of Roketsan’s President &
CEO Selçuk Yasar after a nine year long stint,
Roketsan’s Board of Directors appointed Murat
Ikinci as the company’s new President & CEO,
effective from July 1.

Roketsan has emerged as one of very few firms
globally that are able provide light-weight pre-
cision weapons for armed Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles (UAV). Turkish Aksungur Medium
Growing been seen with Roketsan’s MAM-L, KGK-
Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drones have

SİHA-82 and TEBER-82 munitions. Turkey’s
Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB)
recently announced that an Aksungur UAV
had completed the maiden launch of a KGK-
CapabilitIES SİHA-82 munition which weighs 340 kilograms,
successfully striking a target at a range of 30
kilometer.

Turkey’s main aerospace firm is the nearly five
decade old Turkish Aerospace, which is cel-
ebrating its 48th anniversary in 2021. Turkish
TURKEY’S DEFENCE INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO Aerospace is spearheading Turkish efforts to
EXPAND ITS PORTFOLIO OF PRODUCTS emerge as a credible supplier of advanced
defence equipment not only for the Turkish
armed forces but also for export custom-
Atul Chandra ers. In addition to export of the Anka drone
to Tunisia, Turkish Aerospace has increased
Turkey’s defence industry has made tremendous strides in recent its R&D investments for the 5th gen Turkish
years, with export successes marking market approval for Turkish Fighter and Hurjet programmes. Deliveries of
made defence products. Turkey’s defence exports surpassed US$2 the T129 ATAK helicopter to the Turkish armed
billion in 2018 and Turkish defence firms such as ASELSAN, Turkish forces which started in 2014 continue. The 3rd
Aerospace, Havelsan, Roketsan and FNSS Defence Systems, to prototype of the Gökbey helicopter has also

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