As ASELSAN celebrates its 50th anniversary, our company ranks once more among the top 50 on this year’s Defense News Top 100 list, ranking 43rd, underscoring five decades of innovation, resilience, and technological leadership. This milestone reflects not only a proud legacy of groundbreaking achievements but also a future defined by strategic foresight, continuous growth in capability and scale, and an expanding global impact, cementing our position as Türkiye’s premier defense company.
As the global security landscape is evolving faster than ever, persistent conflicts across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia, coupled with rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, have led to unprecedented increases in defense spending worldwide. Yet, sheer budget growth is no longer the decisive factor. Today’s conflicts demand agility, connectivity, and the integration of multi-domain systems. Through our Operations Analysis Board, we rigorously translate real-world operational lessons into forward-looking product roadmaps, ensuring ASELSAN stays ahead of emerging threats.
From this point of view, we see that the nature of warfare itself is undergoing a profound transformation, from an era defined by counting platforms to one focused on capabilities, integration, and mastery of the electromagnetic spectrum and our strategic evolution mirrors this shift. We have moved beyond standalone systems to pioneering networked, AI-driven architectures. Our heavy investment in algorithmic and cognitive technologies, sensor fusion that synthesizes diverse inputs into a unified operational picture, and dominance of the electronic spectrum underscores our commitment to securing information superiority of which we define as the new frontier of modern warfare.
At the core of this transformation lies Steel Dome, Türkiye’s sovereign, multi-layered air defense architecture. More than a concept, Steel Dome is a living system: an AI-powered command and control backbone integrating short-range KORKUT units, medium-range HİSAR platforms, and long-range SİPER interceptors. Soon, this capability will be further extended with SİPER-2, offering greater reach, solidifying our defense concept with newly introduced systems like EJDERHA, an innovative directed-energy weapon designed to counter swarming drone threats. These platforms are supported by game-changing AESA radars, passive detection technologies, and resilient, jam-resistant communications which collectively enabling real-time, secure data fusion and coordinated response against a broad spectrum of threats, from stealth aircraft to ballistic missiles.
This technological leadership is reinforced by our robust industrial and financial foundation. ASELSAN delivers more than two million products globally, including one million radios, over 10,000 avionics units, 16,000 guidance kits, 1,300 radars, and 100-plus air defense systems. In the first half of 2025, we achieved revenues of 53.7 billion TRY, a year-on-year growth of 11.3%, exports of $1.3 billion, and a record backlog of $16 billion, representing a 30% increase. New contracts totaled $2.8 billion, EBITDA rose 15% to 13.5 billion TRY at a 25% margin, and R&D investment surged 42% to $572 million. Capital expenditure doubled to $104 million, while net debt decreased by 38%, improving our Net Debt to EBITDA ratio significantly. We are expanding production capacity by 100,000 m² over two years, operating three shifts with advanced robotic “dark” factories, and constructing a new radar facility to triple output. Just recently, we have launched our country’s largest defense industry investment of USD 1.5 billion to strengthen mass-production of game-changing technologies. Our investment includes groundbreaking of our Oğulbey Technology Base, the opening of new production and R&D facilities, and the delivery of critical Steel Dome systems to the Turkish Armed Forces.
None of these achievements would be possible without our exceptional people and partners. Our workforce of 12,500 includes over 7,000 engineers, with 40% holding postgraduate degrees and an average age of just 33. We have reversed the brain drain, now welcoming twice as many returning experts as those leaving. Our ecosystem of nearly 3,000 SMEs, collaboration with more than 65 academic leaders through ASELLABS, and extensive export relationships across dozens of countries amplify our national and international reach.
Our vision is clear and resolute: accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies, expedite the maturation of AI, quantum sensing, directed energy, and electronic warfare capabilities, scale our industrial throughput, and deepen our investment in human capital. Guided by our aselsaneXt roadmap, focused on producing world-class products, pioneering game-changing technologies, and broadening global impact, we are steadfast in building a future-ready ASELSAN. While rankings may ebb and flow, our strategic competence, operational excellence, and national contribution will endure. As we celebrate 50 years of excellence, ASELSAN stands ready to lead Türkiye and its allies in the connected, networked battlespaces of today and tomorrow.
Ahmet Akyol
ASELSAN CEO & President
