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Turkish defense giant Aselsan has launched roughly €60 million ($70.1 million) in new maritime investment this month alone, General Manager Ahmet Akyol said Saturday, as the company pursues a contract backlog he said could approach $30 billion by year's end.
Akyol spoke to state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) at the AA Technology Desk during Teknofest Blue Homeland, held at Golcuk Shipyard Command.
Akyol said Aselsan's order backlog has grown from $7 billion-$8 billion three years ago to $23 billion today.
"Looking at the contract negotiations and potential we currently have underway, it wouldn't be surprising at all if we reach $30 billion by the end of the year," Akyol said. "Backlog is critical for planning your future as well."
He noted that the $4.9 billion in new business secured over the past six months is also one of the company's own records, adding that the work secured over the past three years is more than double its deliveries.
The CEO noted that Aselsan will continue investing to speed up production and development of all weapons and sensors needed in Türkiye's "blue homeland" maritime domain.
"Aselsan, in the blue homeland, will continue making investments to more quickly produce and develop all the weapons and sensors needed. Three facilities, two test devices, that means €60 million in additional investment. We started all of these this month. I'm speaking only about the maritime sector," Akyol said.
He said Aselsan's maritime activities make up nearly a quarter of the company's overall business.
"Today we are a company with products on 69 ships in Türkiye, and systems on more than 60 ships abroad," he noted.
Akyol said Aselsan supplies asymmetric warfare capabilities including unmanned underwater and surface systems such as Deringoz, Kilic, Marlin and Albatros.
He said the Kilic underwater kamikaze vehicle offers a capability with few global equivalents.
"It has a surprise effect. It has the ability to travel long distances, and swarming capability," Akyol said. "Cost-effective, high-volume — Aselsan essentially brought the aerial kamikaze drone revolution underwater."
He said the company is gradually adding underwater kamikaze drones to its inventory, effectively bringing that same revolution beneath the surface.
"We've genuinely designed this to be produced in very high numbers and to be launched from ships, unmanned surface vehicles, and directly from shore," Akyol said.
Akyol said the Tufan Kamikaze Unmanned Naval Vehicle, Aselsan's surface counterpart, was launched into the water and shared as part of Teknofest Blue Homeland, while Marlin is already in the Turkish Naval Forces Command's inventory.
"Tufan and Kilic are actually the blue homeland's two swordsmen. These are two strike capabilities that create a surprise effect. Both are asymmetric, highly deterrent systems," Akyol said.
He said the two systems illustrate how quickly Aselsan can adapt to new technologies, noting NATO's secretary general raised them during a recent visit to the company.
Akyol said Celik Kubbe (Steel Dome) has a multi-layered, integrated structure.
"It was designed with the ability to communicate without delay and manage multiple sensors and multiple weapon systems. Additionally, electronic warfare is integrated. We've made electronic warfare an important part of this, both in offense and in the sensor component," Akyol said.
He said Aselsan delivered close to 100 Steel Dome units to inventory last year and expects to exceed 100 this year.
"With the investments we've made, we are striving to multiply our high-volume production every year. Last year we delivered nearly 100 Steel Dome units to inventory. This year it will be over 100. We are striving to bring the things Türkiye needs to Türkiye," Akyol said.
He said Aselsan is also working to increase production and delivery of the Korkut, Hisar and Siper air defense systems and has signed major contracts related to these programs.
Akyol said Aselsan carries significant responsibility on the TF-2000 air defense destroyer program, which recently began.
"Aselsan has a very large responsibility on the ship. First and foremost, we are equipping it with the digital AESA radar. With the air defense systems we're placing on it, Siper, Hisar, Goksur, a laser weapon, Gokdeniz, multi-static sonar capability and long-range submarine detection methods, we are building a ship we can float on the seas," Akyol said.
Akyol said past embargoes on submarine periscopes, once supplied by various countries, prompted Aselsan to develop its own National Submarine Periscope, restoring the navigability of Türkiye's submarines.
"There were countries that declared they would not repair the periscope. Aselsan immediately developed the National Submarine Periscope and made submarines navigable again. Here, even the smallest foreign-dependent component on ships, underwater vehicles and submarines can halt an operation. That's why Aselsan made every effort to develop all of it domestically," he said.
"Today we've left almost no foreign product on ships. We've also domesticated most systems on submarines. With the national submarine, we will now take this to an even higher level," Akyol noted.
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