The Turkish defence companies in the “Defense News Top 100″, which is considered one of the most respected lists in the global defence industry, has now reached seven.
Based on their revenues, Turkish defence companies ASELSAN, TUSAŞ, ROKETSAN, STM, HAVELSAN, FNSS and BMC have been included in the list of the world’s most respected defence industries.
“4 years ago, we had only 2 of our companies on the list. The increase to 7 companies so far is a further sign that our national defence industry is growing day by day,” stated İsmail Demir, Head of Presidency of Defense Industries of the Republic of Turkey.
Seven Turkish defence companies – ASELSAN, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), BMC, Roketsan, Defense Technologies Engineering and Trade Inc. (STM), FNSS and Havelsan in 48th, 53rd, 89th, 91st, 92nd, 98th and 99th place on the list. Whilst FNSS and Havelsan were included in the list for the first time, ASELSAN made it into the top 50 for the first time with four places.
ASELSAN
After increasing its achievements through projects both domestically and abroad, ASELSAN moved up to 93rd place by boosting its defence income from $1.7 billion in 2018 to $2.1 billion last year, with an increase of 21%. ASELSAN entered the list in 2006 for the first time. The company has accomplished this thanks to products and solutions developed based on research and development (R&D) activities in areas such as communication systems, avionics systems, radar and electronic warfare systems, defence and military systems, electro-optical systems, command and control systems and naval systems.
TAI
TAI, manufacturing aerospace platforms for Turkey with Turkish national resources and a leading supplier to international manufacturers such as Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Bombardier and Leonardo, also saw a significant improvement in the list, ranking 83rd for the first time in 2011. The Corporation’s defence revenues grew 42 per cent in 2019, from $1.3 billion in 2018 to $1.8 billion in 2019, and ranked 53rd on the list, 16 places higher than the previous year. While the overall revenue of TAI rose to $2.2 billion last year, 18% of this amount was generated by civil aviation projects.
BMC
BMC, one of the leading manufacturers of armoured land vehicles in the Turkish defence industry, was included in the list for the first time last year, has shown consistency this year. The company, ranked 85th on the list with $554 million the previous year, moved down four places to rank 89th with defence industry sales of $533 million last year. The manufacturer of land vehicles, currently responsible for the mass production of Turkey’s Altay battle tank, manufactures several different combinations of commercial and defence industry vehicles, ranging from buses to trucks and from mine-protected mine protection vehicles to tactical wheeled vehicles.
ROKETSAN
Ranked 89th in 2019, Roketsan achieved 91st place in the list this year. Roketsan’s revenue declined 1% to $515 million and dropped two places in the list. The followings are among the company’s most popular products: the long-range Bora ground-to-ground missile, the TRG-300 Kaplan missile, the SOM and JSF-compatible precision-guided SOM-J ammunition, the TRG-122 rockets, the L-UMTAS laser-guided long-range anti-tank missile, the Hisar air defence missiles, the Sungur air defence system and the first Turkish naval cruise missile Atmaca, etc.
STM
From the 85th place of last year’s Defense News Top 100, STM fell back this year by seven ranks to place 92nd. The company experienced a 14 per cent drop in defence earnings from $564 million in 2018 to $485 million in 2019. The company is striving to meet Turkey’s needs with its high-tech products and is competing abroad by developing advanced and smart technological solutions. STM is involved in the design, modernization and production of military naval vehicles and has recently caught attention with its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), revolutionary satellite technologies, behind-the-wall radars and cybersecurity systems.
FNSS
FNSS, one of the manufacturers of armoured land vehicles in the Turkish defence industry, moved up from 98th place on the list this year. It boosted its sales by 2% from USD 367 million in 2018 to USD 374 million last year. FNSS, developing and manufacturing customized, high-performance, durable and innovative wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles, is one of the world’s leading companies in its field. The corporation, the products of which are highly appreciated by users in various countries, has shipped more than 4,000 armoured combat vehicles to date. FNSS’s broad product portfolio ranges from 15-ton armoured tracked vehicles to mid-range tanks, from tactical armoured 4×4 to 8×8 wheeled vehicles and mobile attack bridges to manned and unmanned armoured pioneer vehicles and turrets.
HAVELSAN
HAVELSAN is also another Turkish company in the defence industry that entered the list for the first time this year. The company is specialized in developing software solutions, boosted its revenue by 6% from $278 million last year to $295 million and ranked 99th in the list.
Source: https://www.invest.gov.tr/
