ASELSAN Signs €1.65 Billion Air Defense Contract, Adds New Partnerships at Eurosatory
ASELSAN has disclosed an air defense systems contract worth roughly €1.65 billion with Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB). Deliveries under the deal are slated to run from 2027 to 2031. The company timed this domestic award to coincide with international cooperation agreements signed at the Eurosatory 2026 exhibition in Paris.
According to the disclosure to Turkey’s Public Disclosure Platform (KAP), reported by Defensehere, the contract significantly expands ASELSAN’s air defense order book. Eurosatory coverage by Defence Industry Europe confirms the systems the company showcased and the partnerships it signed. Read together, the two sources corroborate both the contract and the show-floor moves.
What the €1.65 billion contract means
The counterparty is the SSB, the institution responsible for Turkish defense procurement. That makes this a domestic acquisition to strengthen the Turkish Armed Forces’ air defense inventory rather than an export. Spreading deliveries across 2027-2031 signals a multi-year production and delivery program, not a one-off buy.
The contract can be read as part of Turkey’s integrated, multilayered air defense architecture known as Steel Dome. The concept aims to close low-, medium- and high-altitude bands with systems of different ranges and unite them in a common command-and-control network. ASELSAN’s weight in radar, electronic warfare and air defense places the company at the center of that architecture.
Eurosatory 2026: DRONEDEF and layered drone defense
ASELSAN displayed its multi-domain defense portfolio at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris on 16 June. At the heart of its stand was the integrated counter-drone concept it calls DRONEDEF — not a single weapon, but a system-of-systems combining several effect mechanisms.
The concept brings together the İHTAR anti-drone system, the GÖKBERK laser weapon, the KORKUT 100/25 SB gun-based air defense system and the EJDERHA high-power electromagnetic anti-UAV system. The arrangement offers three simultaneous layers against drone threats: hard kill (gunfire), directed energy (laser) and electromagnetic effects. ASELSAN positions DRONEDEF as a component of the Steel Dome air defense architecture.
The company also showed the KALKAN II/M vehicle-mounted mobile search radar, the KORAL electronic warfare system, the TOLUN family of precision-guided munitions and the KILIÇ family of autonomous underwater vehicles. The breadth underlines that ASELSAN develops products not in a single niche but across a wide span — from radar and electronic warfare to air defense and undersea systems.
New partnerships with Daimler Truck and VIC TEC
ASELSAN took two notable international steps at Eurosatory. The first was a memorandum of understanding with Daimler Truck. The agreement explores integrating ASELSAN’s air defense and electronic warfare systems onto Mercedes-Benz Truck-branded Daimler platforms, with Daimler’s Turkish manufacturer Koluman expected to support implementation. In practice, it means ASELSAN payloads meeting the platforms of an established commercial truck maker.
The second was a letter of intent with VIC TEC, a Latvian maker of unmanned surface vessels and interceptor drones, aimed at strengthening Latvia’s counter-UAS detection and effect capabilities. ASELSAN President and CEO Ahmet Akyol framed the company’s presence this way: “Our presence at EUROSATORY 2026 reflects both the breadth of our technology portfolio and the strength of our international partnerships.”
Why it matters for Turkey
The €1.65 billion contract turns Turkey’s goal of localizing air defense into a concrete procurement line. Domestic production both reduces external dependency and allows delivery schedules to be set by national priorities. The Eurosatory partnerships represent a different dimension: ASELSAN is positioned not merely as a supplier to the home market but as an actor building partnerships within the European defense ecosystem.
The steps with Daimler Truck and VIC TEC are part of a trend raising the Turkish defense industry’s visibility in the European market. Such cooperation opens the door to joint development and integration models that go beyond exports.
| Development | Detail |
|---|---|
| Domestic contract | €1.65 billion air defense with SSB; deliveries 2027-2031 |
| DRONEDEF | İHTAR + GÖKBERK laser + KORKUT 100/25 SB + EJDERHA |
| Daimler Truck | MoU; payload integration (Koluman support) |
| VIC TEC (Latvia) | Letter of intent; counter-UAS capability |
| Exhibition | Eurosatory 2026, Paris, 16 June |
Steel Dome’s layers and ASELSAN’s export momentum
What gives the €1.65 billion contract its meaning is the larger picture it belongs to. Steel Dome is designed as a layered architecture that unites systems ranging from very short to long range within a single command-and-control network. In that architecture, systems like GÜRZ and KORKUT counter low-altitude and drone threats, the HİSAR family covers the medium layer, and SİPER handles long-range, high-altitude threats. ASELSAN’s radar, fire-control and electronic-warfare components act as the nervous system tying these layers together.
The contract lands at a time of rising export and delivery momentum for ASELSAN. In recent years the company has signed deals in radar, air defense, electro-optics and communications for both the domestic market and overseas end users. The Daimler Truck and VIC TEC steps at Eurosatory show that this growth is not confined to product sales but is broadening toward joint development, integration and market-access models. That versatility moves ASELSAN away from dependence on any single program and toward being a broad-based defense-electronics player.
Open-source verification notes
The contract figure rests on ASELSAN’s KAP disclosure, reported by Defensehere; the value (€1.65 billion) and delivery window (2027-2031) come from that disclosure. The Eurosatory systems and partnerships were confirmed via Defence Industry Europe’s coverage, which is also the source of the Ahmet Akyol quote. DRONEDEF’s components are given as presented by ASELSAN.
Sources
- ASELSAN / KAP — €1.65 billion air defense contract disclosure (value and delivery schedule).
- Defensehere — report on the ASELSAN contract, June 2026.
- Defence Industry Europe — Eurosatory 2026 coverage (DRONEDEF, Daimler Truck, VIC TEC, executive quote).
