Turkish defense company Aselsan expects a stronger increase in exports to NATO-linked countries as European and allied interest in Türkiye's defense industry continues to grow, the company's CEO said.
Speaking to Anadolu at the NATO Defense Industry Forum held in Ankara as part of the 36th NATO Summit of Leaders, Ahmet Akyol said the forum has now become part of NATO's broader agenda, calling it an important shift for the alliance.
Akyol said Türkiye has already invested heavily in the defense industry and now holds an advantageous position due to its geography, military strength and industrial capabilities.
"With our geographical strength and military power, we were already part of NATO. Now, with our defense industry strength, we have reinforced our position as an important player," he said.
Akyol said Türkiye's armed forces, now equipped almost entirely with domestic defense industry products, have become stronger internationally, while Turkish defense companies are working to expand cooperation through international platforms.
He said some components of Türkiye's Steel Dome air defense system are being assessed as capability gains for NATO.
Türkiye developed an integrated, layered air defense architecture under state leadership after taking into account the changing dynamics of the battlefield over the past three to four years, Akyol said.
He said Aselsan has increased serial production and delivered a large number of systems while also working to gain missing capabilities and adapt to the evolving battlefield.
"The systems we are developing today have been recognized as valuable for NATO, including radars, high-altitude, medium-altitude and low-altitude air defense systems, as well as low Earth orbit satellites to be used for surveillance," he said.
"These systems are also expected to contribute to NATO's security architecture," he added.
Akyol said Aselsan is investing in entirely new technologies as warfare increasingly shifts toward artificial intelligence-based, network-centric and autonomous systems.
He said Aselsan's kamikaze drones, kamikaze underwater vehicles and similar capabilities are moving the company into a new era of warfare and technology.
"Artificial intelligence is the most discussed topic. At Aselsan, we operate in a closed network. Türkiye's largest data center is inside Aselsan, and more than 2,000 engineers work on artificial intelligence every day," he said.
Akyol said the company is developing specialized models trained with sensitive data obtained from military environments, adding that this work differs from open artificial intelligence studies.
"We are now at the stage of implementing artificial intelligence at Aselsan and integrating it into products," he said.
He also said Aselsan recently signed agreements for the development of superconducting quantum processor units, known as QPUs, and is designing quantum chips while building a production facility in Ankara.
Akyol said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's recent visit to Aselsan focused on the company's investments in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, autonomous systems and other innovative technologies.
"He saw how we captured this transformation," Akyol said, adding that Rutte has cited Aselsan several times as an example of a company that can innovate, produce at scale and deliver rapidly.
Akyol said all Aselsan products are NATO-compatible, stressing that the Turkish army is NATO's second-largest military force.
He said products used and approved by the Turkish Armed Forces are later introduced to international markets, where Aselsan's serial production capacity, innovative approach and cost-effectiveness have attracted growing attention.
"We see that European and NATO-linked visits, meetings and agreements are increasing every day. More than 50% of all our exports last year went to NATO-linked countries. I expect a much larger increase in this area with recent developments," he said.
Akyol said this would benefit both Türkiye and NATO member countries.
He also said Aselsan has been assigned to design secure communications satellites in low Earth orbit under an investment program for next-generation technologies to be developed jointly by NATO member states.
"This task is an important indicator of the trust placed in our country's engineering capabilities in space technologies at the international level," he said.
"In the coming period, with secure communications infrastructure to be built in LEO and next-generation satellite networks that will meet critical military and strategic communications needs, we will equip space with LEO satellites," he added.
