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50 Years of ASELSAN: From Tactical Radios to a Global Defense Powerhouse Shaping the Digital Shield of Tomorrow
Presented by
Aselsan
Presented by
Aselsan
In 2025, ASELSAN marks its 50th anniversary not only as Türkiye’s largest defense technology company but as one of the world’s prominent innovators in radar, electronic warfare, air defense and network-centric security architectures. What began in 1975 as a small national initiative to secure Türkiye’s communication independence has evolved into a global high-technology leader delivering integrated solutions across every operational domain.
ASELSAN’s founding purpose was shaped by a strategic need to build reliable, nationally controlled capability in critical military communications. The company’s first-generation VHF/UHF radios, produced against the backdrop of 1970s geopolitical constraints, became the building block for an engineering culture focused on indigenous design, rigorous systems integration and long-term technological autonomy.
By the 1990s, this foundation expanded into electro-optics, command-and-control, land combat subsystems, and naval electronics. In the 2000s, ASELSAN’s portfolio began to scale vertically, adding radar, electronic warfare, and air defense to its expanding ecosystem. Each decade amplified the company’s strategic depth, widening its R&D footprint and strengthening Türkiye’s defense industrial base.
Today, ASELSAN stands as a flagship of Türkiye’s high-technology economy, powered by more than 13,000 employees and an R&D ecosystem that includes 11 state-of-the-art centers and over 7,500 dedicated specialists. This dynamic ecosystem is also guided by aselsaneXt, the company’s long-term transformation strategy focused on producing best-in-class products, deepening international collaborations and developing game-changing technologies that reinforce Türkiye’s defense autonomy.
From Communications to STEEL DOME: Building a Network-Centric Shield
The company’s transformation is perhaps best embodied in the Steel Dome architecture, Türkiye’s multilayered, AI-supported national air and missile defense ecosystem. What began as tactical radio expertise evolved into a fully networked defense grid integrating radars, sensors, electronic warfare assets, AI-based command centers and a full family of effectors.
Steel Dome brings together Türkiye’s most advanced defense technologies under a single, secure, and intelligent structure. Its backbone is built on three core pillars:
Supported by TURAN tactical unified radio access network, Steel Dome operates as a resilient digital fortress designed to withstand electronic interference, cyberattacks and high-saturation threat environments.
47 key components of the Steel Dome have been delivered to Turkish Armed Forces.
In 2025, the program reached another major milestone with the delivery of 47 key system components valued at 460 million USD, further expanding Türkiye’s integrated air defense capacity. These deliveries included SİPER, HİSAR, KORKUT, ALP and PUHU systems that now form the backbone of the architecture, and similar deliveries and new sales are expected to continue in the coming period, further strengthening the national defense network.
This achievement reflects ASELSAN’s transformation from a communications contractor into the architect of one of the world’s most advanced network-centric air defense ecosystems.
A Record-Setting Year: Strong Performance in the First Nine Months of 2025
ASELSAN’s 50th anniversary coincides with one of its strongest financial periods. The first nine months of 2025 continued to show sustained global demand for the company’s advanced technology portfolio.
Revenue increased by 12.3 percent year-on-year in real terms, while new contracts expanded significantly, driven by air defense, radar, naval and electronic warfare programs. Export contracts reached 1.45 billion USD, reflecting growing international adoption of ASELSAN’s solutions. The company’s backlog climbed to 17.9 billion USD, underlining long-term demand across key markets. During this period, ASELSAN also accelerated infrastructure investments and boosted its R&D expenditures, reinforcing its position as one of the region’s most research-intensive technology enterprises.
A Workforce and Innovation Culture Built for the Next 50 Years
ASELSAN’s competitive edge rests not only on its technologies but on its people. With an average employee age of 33 and a workforce shaped by 10 years of professional experience, the company sustains one of the most agile R&D ecosystems in the defense sector, supported by a deep engineering culture.
This workforce is also the driving force behind aselsaneXt, the organization’s long-term transformation program structured around five pillars: aTalent, aFast, aTech, aMass and aBusiness. These pillars aim to accelerate product development, expand digital manufacturing, deepen global market reach, and enhance organizational responsiveness.
At the strategic level, ASELSAN’s ambition is clear: achieve a 30 percent export share in the coming years while scaling its global footprint through co-production, technology partnerships and long-term defense collaborations.
Looking Ahead: An Era Defined by Integrated, Intelligent and Sovereign Capabilities
As the threat landscape shifts toward hypersonic weapons, autonomous swarms, long-range cruise missiles and electronic attack, the need for resilient, multi-domain defense ecosystems becomes more urgent. ASELSAN’s roadmap is built around this future.
Investments totaling 1.5 billion USD in the new OĞULBEY Technology Base will substantially increase the company’s production capacity across air defense, radar, power electronics, electronic warfare and semiconductors. Upon completion, this campus will become Europe’s largest air defense production hub, further strengthening Türkiye’s strategic depth and export potential.
Through integrated air defense, electromagnetic warfare, AI-driven command networks, secure communications and precision-guided systems, ASELSAN continues to strengthen its central role in Türkiye’s national security and its position as a trusted partner in the global defense arena.
CEO Perspective: A Legacy Built on Trust, A Future Built on Vision
ASELSAN President & CEO Ahmet Akyol describes the company’s 50th anniversary as both a milestone and a commitment:
“For fifty years, ASELSAN has grown step by step alongside our nation, transforming from a small communications enterprise into a global technology leader. The delivery of 47 new Steel Dome components this year symbolizes how far we have come and how confidently we are shaping the future.Our financial performance, our expanding export reach and our record- level new orders are all reflections of the trust placed in ASELSAN. As we invest in the OĞULBEY Technology Base and drive forward the aselsaneXt transformation, we are preparing ASELSAN for the next fifty years with a clear vision: stronger innovation, deeper global partnerships and a fully sovereign technological ecosystem.”
From tactical radios to national air and missile defense networks, ASELSAN’s five-decade journey tells a singular story of determination, national capability, and technological ambition. And as the company enters its next era, its mission remains unchanged: build the systems, talent and innovation infrastructure that will protect Türkiye today and shape global defense technologies tomorrow.
This content is made possible by our sponsor Aselsan; it is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Government Executive's editorial staff.
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