The Turkish defence industries maintained their momentum in 2024, continuing the trajectory set in previous years across air, land, and naval domains.
The Turkish defence industries maintained their momentum in 2024, continuing the trajectory set in previous years across air, land, and naval domains. Prototypes marked significant achievements, solidifying the sector’s progress.
The year 2024 witnessed numerous successes in prototype development. Key milestones included the first flight of the National Combat Aircraft, KAAN, the Bayraktar TB3 UCAV becoming the world’s first unmanned aerial vehicle capable of taking off and landing on a short-deck vessel, and the initial ignition of the TF6000 turbofan engine.
TUSAŞ’s KAAN aircraft conducted its maiden and second flights in 2024. As preparations for its third flight progressed, production of another prototype commenced.
TUSAŞ’s advanced trainer and light attack aircraft, Hürjet, achieved its first flight in 2023. In 2024, it reached supersonic speeds for the first time, and a collaboration agreement was signed with Spain for this aircraft.
TUSAŞ's turboprop trainer aircraft Hürkuş II performed its maiden flight on the last days of 2024. The first version flew in 2013 for the first time.
The Bayraktar TB3 UCAV gained global recognition by successfully becoming the first unmanned aerial vehicle to take off and land on a short-deck vessel. While the Mojave UAV by the US firm General Atomics managed to take off from a ship earlier, it did not land on one.
TF6000 Turbofan Engine to Power KIZILELMA and ANKA-3 
Under TUSAŞ Engine Industries’ (TEI) leadership, Turkiye’s first military turbofan engine, the TF6000, was tested. Once serial production begins, the TF6000 will power the KIZILELMA and ANKA-3 platforms.
OTOKAR became the only company to negotiate after all its competitors withdrew from the difficult tender in Romania and agreed to open a factory in this country. Romania will acquire 1059 Cobra II 4x4 tactical wheeled armoured vehicles from Otokar.
FNSS presented its conceptual design of KAPLAN APC for Indonesia and stated that further KAPLAN MT production would be available in the same country. The company ended its partnership with BAE Systems and became 100% Turkish.
Nurol Makina establishes a production facility in the U.K. for its 4x4 armoured vehicles. The facility has been established at Tachbrook Park. Nurol's NMS-L 4x4 vehicle based on YÖRÜK is a contender for the country's future 4x4 armoured vehicle programme.
SİPER Block 1 Enters Inventory
ROKETSAN’s long-range area air defence system, SİPER Block 1, joined the Turkish Armed Forces inventory. As a key component of Turkiye’s “Steel Dome” air defence system, it significantly enhances deterrence.
Four Naval Vessels Delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces
The Turkish defence industry delivered four naval vessels to the Turkish Armed Forces in 2024: TCG Derya (A-1590), TCG Istanbul (F-515, the Marlin USV, and TCG Arif Ekmekçi (A-575) were commissioned.
ARES Shipyard and Meteksan joint venture ULAQ's ULAQ 11 PSV Port Security Vessel version was exported to Qatar, while the production of the ULAQ 12 PSV version for the Turkish Naval Forces was completed.
ASELSAN delivered ANTIDOT 3-U GNSS/Communication Jamming Pod and GERGEDAN 4-U Communication Electronic Attack System for UAVs.
Firing tests of KORKUT C-RAM were conducted in 2024.
Export contracts with 14 countries, including Croatia, were signed for the ASELFLIR-500 Electro-Optical System.
ASELFLIR-500 and TOLUN Small Diameter Bomb were integrated into TUSAŞ’s ANKA-III stealth UCAV.
TOLUN-IIR featuring IIR seeker was tested successfully by AKINCI UCAV on an armoured vehicle target.
MURAD 100-A AESA radar was tested on F-16.
HİSAR-O 100 medium-range air defence system was tested at a range of 40 km.
KORKUT 100/25 C-UAS system featuring ATOM 25 mm airburst ammunition and AURA 200-G AESA radar made its debut during SAHA EXPO 2024.
ASELSAN-SEFİNE JV’s MARLIN USV fired a KUZGUN KY surface-to-surface missile with a range of 40 km from the fixed launcher.
ASELSAN added C-UAS capability to the SARP RCWS family with new targeting algorithms.
CENK 400-N (CENK-S) AESA searching radar was exported to Indonesia.
Defence Industry Executive Committee Meetings
While the Defence Industry Executive Committee (SSİK) did not convene at the end of 2023, it held a meeting in January 2024. This continuation of the previous year’s approach meant no meeting was held in December.
