Aselsan announced on 27 August 2025 that it has embarked on what has been billed as the largest defence industry investment in Türkiye’s history.
Marking its 50th anniversary this year, the company has celebrated the historic milestone with a groundbreaking ceremony at Oğulbey Technology Base, the opening of multiple new production and research and development (R&D) facilities, and the delivery of critical systems for Steel Dome: Türkiye’s multi-layered, integrated air defence architecture.
Oğulbey Technology Base, the groundbreaking ceremony for which was held on 27 August 2025 at Aselsan’s facilities in Ankara and attended by Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan, is expected to be commissioned in mid-2026 and is set to become the company’s largest site. The base will cover over 735,000 m2 of enclosed space within a total area of 6.5 million m2 and represents an investment of approximately USD 1.5 billion (EUR 1.29 billion). The facilities will primarily serve teams developing Türkiye’s Steel Dome system.
During the ceremony 47 key components of the Steel Dome architecture, valued at USD 460 million, were delivered to the Turkish armed forces, including air defence, electronic warfare and radar systems. Designed to shield Türkiye with a multi-layered, integrated air defence structure, Steel Dome is said by Aselsan to represent a critical leap forward in securing the country’s national airspace.
The ceremony also marked the opening of 14 new facilities valued at USD 280 million, including an air defence system design office, a radar production and integration facility, an advanced engineering materials R&D centre, an electro-optical system production facility, a guided munitions design and integration facility, an avionics integration hangar, and a production centre for subsidiary company Aselsannet. These investments significantly expand Aselsan’s cleanroom capacity, laboratories, integration areas and R&D spaces, achieving a 40% increase in capacity while creating new opportunities for highly qualified employment and accelerating next-generation production. The first facility is to become operational by mid-2026.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Erdoğan stated, “This investment marks the single largest defence industry investment in our Republic’s history. And this will also be the largest integrated air defence facility in Europe. As Aselsan serves as the heart of our defense ecosystem, this step represents a critical threshold for the entire sector. In the next 50 years, Türkiye will not only meet its own needs but also become a country that shapes the world with its technology. We are confident that Aselsan will be one of the institutions making the greatest contribution on this path.”
Aselsan President and CEO Ahmet Akyol stated at the ceremony, “Fifty years ago, Aselsan was founded with the dream of achieving what had never been done in Türkiye. Today, we proudly stand among the world’s leading players in air defence, radar, electronic warfare, communications, smart munitions and electro-optics. We have become one of the 10 fastest-growing defence companies in the world and with these new investments we are advancing confidently toward our goal of transforming Türkiye’s defence giant into a global technology powerhouse.”
