Aselsan and Barzan Holdings expand BARQ joint venture with new agreements

Turkey’s Aselsan and Qatar-based Barzan Holdings announced on 20 January 2026 the expansion of their BARQ joint venture with multiple agreements and new capabilities, advancing their strategic co-operation and marking a new phase in bilateral defence collaboration.

The agreements were signed at the DIMDEX 2026 Exhibition in Qatar by Özgür Taylan Sarı, vice president of Aselsan, and Barzan Group’s CEO, His Excellency Eng. Mohamed Badr Al-Sadah. The ceremonial signing was attended by the Secretary of the Turkish Defence Industries, Professor Dr Haluk Görgün, and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State for Defence Affairs and Chairman of Barzan Holdings His Excellency Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani.

The expanded scope of the joint venture will cover high-technology areas and selected local production capabilities while advancing technology transfer, industrial know-how and the development of local expertise between Qatar and Türkiye.

“This initiative reflects the shared vision of Aselsan and Barzan Holdings to build a resilient defence ecosystem through local capacity development, strategic partnerships and long-term industrial collaboration,” Aselsan stated.

Aselsan and Barzan Holdings noted that the expansion of their BARQ joint venture represents an important step toward strengthening joint capabilities across the Middle East defence ecosystem. By integrating advanced high-technology services with selected local production capacities, the parties aim to enable the delivery of more resilient and future-ready solutions.