Aselsan aims for $30 billion in order backlog by year-end
KOCAELİ
Turkish defense giant Aselsan expects its order backlog to hit $30 billion by year’s end, Chief Executive Ahmet Akyol has announced, alongside new investments to ramp up naval defense systems.
Speaking at TEKNOFEST Mavi Vatan in the northwestern province of Kocaeli, Akyol said Aselsan’s backlog had risen from around $7-8 billion three years ago to $23 billion, adding that ongoing contract negotiations and potential deals could lift the figure to $30 billion before year-end.
“The $4.9 billion of new business secured in the first half of the year is also one of our record performances,” Akyol said, noting that the company has consistently booked new orders worth more than twice the value of its annual deliveries over the past three years.
“We continue to increase the share of exports in our overall business volume. We continue to raise both total orders and deliveries, while improving efficiency at the same time,” Akyol said.
Aselsan provides unmanned underwater and surface systems for asymmetric warfare, he said, adding: “We contribute to naval warfare in the asymmetric domain through a broad portfolio of systems already in service, including unmanned platforms such as DERİNGÖZ, KILIÇ, MARLIN and ALBATROS.”
Aselsan systems are currently used on 69 naval vessels in Türkiye and on more than 60 ships abroad, with products deployed in countries ranging from East Asia to the Black Sea region, according to Akyol.
The CEO added that Aselsan currently has production facilities in several friendly countries. “We have a physical presence in 25 countries. Some of these operations are focused solely on logistics support, while others carry out manufacturing or design activities. We are also working to expand these partnerships in line with the needs of each country,” he noted.
Akyol said underwater and surface naval systems require extensive infrastructure, adding that Aselsan has established new testing facilities in Ankara, including dedicated test ponds, as part of a broader investment drive under the “Blue Homeland” initiative aimed at accelerating product development and testing.
Akyol said construction of the fully indigenous MİLDEN submarine had begun at Gölcük Shipyard and that Aselsan had launched investments to expand its footprint there, including a new submarine systems integration facility and an AI-powered sensor and data processing center being developed in cooperation with the Turkish Naval Forces.
“All of the sonars, radars, torpedoes, underwater systems and electronic warfare systems we develop need to undergo testing before they are delivered to the Turkish Naval Forces. We have also started building a test center on the opposite shore, where test vessels and unmanned surface vehicles will be connected and evaluated,” Akyol said.
“These investments will allow us to increase our production capacity, testing capability and overall speed. With a faster development and testing process, we will be able to deliver more products to the inventory.”
“These are significant investments. They amount to three facilities, two testing systems and an additional investment of 60 million euros. We launched all of these projects this month alone, just in the naval domain.”
“ASELSAN will continue investing to accelerate the development and production of all weapons and sensors required for Türkiye’s Blue Homeland strategy,” he added.
Aselsan is seeking to increase production and deliveries of air defense systems such as KORKUT, HİSAR and SİPER, and has signed major contracts related to those programs, according to Akyol.
The company delivered nearly 100 Steel Dome-related systems last year and expects to deliver more than 100 this year, he said.
Akyol added that Aselsan’s investments exceed $2.5 billion.
Akyol said Aselsan’s production and design operations are supported by subsidiaries located in Konya, Sivas, Gaziantep, Ankara and Istanbul. He added that the company works with a network of more than 3,000 suppliers across 46 provinces in Türkiye.