From Defense to Health: ASELSAN’s Indigenous Medical-Device Push — From X-Rays to the Heart-Lung Machine

A defense giant placing medical devices alongside its radars and electronic-warfare systems may look unusual at first; but for ASELSAN it is the same engineering capability carried into the civilian domain. As Anadolu Agency reported, the company aims to become “Türkiye’s flagship” in health, too.

The concrete step is clear: 30 of ASELSAN’s HealthView mobile digital X-ray devices were delivered to the Health Ministry. According to Medikal News, Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu and Defense Industries President Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün attended the handover. Another 300 devices are planned for the health infrastructure within two years.

Background: Defense-to-Health Hybrid Innovation

ASELSAN’s move into health is not new; the company has invested its own resources for years, with a dedicated directorate and hundreds of engineers and technical staff. Disciplines mastered in defense — radar, optics, signal processing and systems integration — also form the core of medical imaging and life-support devices.

According to Daily Sabah, ASELSAN’s portfolio spans mobile digital X-ray, ventilators, an automated external defibrillator (Heartline OED), patient monitors, mammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). During COVID-19 the company already proved this capability by producing tens of thousands of ventilators in partnership with Biosys.

The Details: From X-Rays to the Heart-Lung Machine

The HealthView ADR-M100 mobile digital X-ray is positioned as globally competitive with high-resolution imaging, low radiation levels and mobile use. Serial production began in 2024, the first 30 units were delivered, and the target is to reach 300 within two years.

The most ambitious step comes in 2026: ASELSAN moves to serial production of a heart-lung machine and a manual defibrillator — devices that only five companies worldwide can make. That places Türkiye among the handful of countries able to produce these critical systems. The company targets at least 11 fully indigenous medical devices by 2030.

Regional Context: Import Dependence in Medical Devices

For many years Türkiye imported a large share of high-tech medical devices. Imaging systems, life-support equipment and critical hospital gear are largely in the hands of a few global manufacturers, meaning both high cost and supply dependence. The global crunch in ventilator supply during the pandemic was the clearest example.

ASELSAN’s move carries the localization model built in defense into health technology. EC-certified devices circulating freely in the EU, and exports already reaching 26 countries, show this is a strategy aimed not just at the domestic market but at exports.

Why It Matters for Türkiye

This is a concrete example of defense-to-civilian technology transfer for Türkiye. Design, production and certification capabilities built in defense are carried directly into civilian health. The result is reduced dependence on imports for high-tech medical devices and stronger supply sovereignty in a strategic sector.

The heart-lung machine is symbolic here: producing indigenously a device only five companies worldwide make demonstrates the level Türkiye has reached in high-value health technology. The same logic runs through defense projects like KAAN, ALTAY and SİPER; in health, too, indigenous production delivers both cost and independence advantages.

The export dimension makes the model sustainable. ASELSAN selling health systems to 26 countries proves localization can become not just import substitution but an export line. The “design, certify and export your own product” model tested in defense works in health, too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

ASELSAN’s medical-device push shows how localization capability built in defense can be carried into civilian technology. This line — from 30 mobile X-rays to a heart-lung machine — means for Türkiye both reduced import dependence in health and a new export field.

Sources

• Anadolu Ajansı (AA) — “ASELSAN sağlıkta da Türkiye’nin amiral gemisi olmayı hedefliyor”
• Daily Sabah — “Turkish defense company ASELSAN to develop medical devices”
• Medikal News — “ASELSAN’da Üretilen 30 Adet Mobil Dijital Röntgen Cihazı Sağlık Bakanlığı’na Teslim Edildi”
• DefenceTurkey — “ASELSAN’ın Yerli Mobil Dijital Röntgen Cihazları Sağlık Bakanlığına Teslim Edildi”