Türkiye has achieved a milestone in defence exports by operationalising its first indigenously developed Helicopter Visual Landing Aid System (HVLAS) aboard a corvette built for a foreign navy.
STM has released a press release about the HVLAS export but has not mentioned the country and navy. However, it was stated that the system would be operational on a foreign corvette. STM’s only export corvette, which is near being operational, was built by RMK Marine Shipyard in Istanbul for Ukraine.
The HVLAS was developed as part of STM’s naval localisation strategy and was jointly realised with Berkin Defence Engineering Inc., the subcontractor responsible for the system’s design, production, and testing. While STM served as the main contractor for the ship, Berkin engineered and manufactured the HVLAS entirely using national resources, eliminating reliance on foreign suppliers for this capability.
From localisation to export success
Used on surface combatants to support helicopter landings under challenging conditions, HVLAS includes deck lighting units, visual guidance subsystems, and adaptive software that configures operational parameters in real-time. The system significantly reduces pilot workload and enhances safety during day and night operations.
The system was previously imported for use aboard Turkish Navy ships. However, under STM’s R&D roadmap, HVLAS was fully indigenised in 2023. After completing all qualification and acceptance tests, it has now been delivered and commissioned aboard “Hetman Ivan Mazepa,” the lead ship in a series of corvettes being built by Türkiye for the Ukrainian Navy.
Expanded deployment across three navies
The HVLAS is also expected to be deployed aboard a second corvette in the same Ukrainian programme. Beyond this, STM plans to integrate the system into three LMS Batch-2 corvettes under construction for the Royal Malaysian Navy, as well as six future MİLGEM I-class (İstif) frigates in the Turkish Navy inventory, hulls numbered 6 to 12.
STM is preparing to install the indigenised HVLAS on 12 surface warships across three navies—Ukrainian, Malaysian, and Turkish—demonstrating both technological maturity and export viability.
Strategic gain for Türkiye’s naval industry
The successful export and operationalisation of HVLAS highlights Türkiye’s advancing capability to provide complete naval systems, not just platforms. With growing interest in helicopter-capable warships across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe, STM and Berkin are positioning HVLAS as a scalable and export-ready solution—paving the way for Türkiye’s further expansion into advanced naval support technologies.
Author: Özgür Ekşi
