NATO taps Türkiye’s Havelsan for crucial software

ISTANBUL

NATO has decided to procure a tactical data link management center network planning software from Turkish defense company Havelsan, a system described in modern militaries as the “brain of battlefield communications.”

The software plans and synchronizes how all friendly forces operate together in a single, integrated digital battlespace.

The management center is a multifunctional hub regarded as the central nervous system of modern armed forces. It designs and manages tactical data-link networks, multi-link configurations and link activities, enabling air, land and naval forces to speak the same digital language and share the same operational picture in real time.

At the heart of this architecture is the network planning software. Command-and-control centers, airborne early-warning aircraft, fighter jets, warships, radar systems, ground forces and missile units continuously exchange position data, target information and radar tracks.

These units use different communication standards, all operating over limited and highly contested bandwidth.

The software functions as the intelligence layer of this system, determining in advance who will communicate with whom, through which data link, using which network design, encryption, frequency and timing — ensuring seamless, conflict-free data exchange across the battlespace.

After an extensive evaluation process conducted to meet an urgent operational requirement, NATO selected Havelsan as its supplier.

During live demonstrations with shortlisted companies, Havelsan’s project received the highest technical score from NATO evaluators.

According to the media, 2025 proved to be a landmark year for Havelsan, as the company surpassed $500 million in revenue and expanded its exports across four continents.

The Turkish defense industry, throughout the year, developed new capabilities to meet emerging battlefield requirements and the future combat environment.

Türkiye's defense and aerospace industry exports reached $8.5 billion this year, the country's defense industries chief has announced.