Turkish defense firm inks $450M export deals in 2020

BURSA, Turkey

Turkish defense giant Aselsan signed export contracts worth over $450 million in 2020, the head of the company said on Friday.

Speaking at an event organized by the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD), Haluk Gorgun said that Aselsan had a turnover of $1.4 billion in 2017.

"The figure was approximately $2.3 billion with $331 million of exports in the previous year. We have exported to 70 countries so far. Aselsan has signed export contracts worth over $450 million in 2020 despite the pandemic," he noted.

Stressing that Aselsan allocates 7% of its turnover to R&D every year, Gorgun said even though the company does not have a project, it produces solutions developed by investing.

"Signaling systems, smart transportation systems and health systems are some of them. We produced a local breathing device in the pandemic. We are also developing an X-ray device and we will start mass production as soon as the certification phase of the X-ray device is completed."

Gorgun also emphasized that they defined Aselsan as an R&D and engineering company working with approximately 9,000 personnel and added "1,479 new personnel were hired during the epidemic".

Aselsan is the largest defense company of Turkey and among the top 100 defense firms in the world.

*Writing by Yunus Girgin in Ankara