BİTES virtual maintenance and fault diagnosis training
Quick answer: The fault diagnosis and maintenance training systems of BİTES are software solutions that train the maintenance personnel of weapon systems and military platforms without touching the real equipment. The official project list of the company, a subsidiary of Turkish defense electronics manufacturer ASELSAN, includes training material work ranging from the SERDAR and SARP weapon systems to the SİPER long-range air defense missile, and from the T129 ATAK attack helicopter to the GÖKDENİZ close-in weapon system and the HİSAR-O medium-altitude air defense programs. The portfolio covers animated training material, virtual maintenance simulators and augmented reality supported solutions.
What is virtual maintenance training?
Virtual maintenance training is the practice of having maintenance personnel work through equipment disassembly and reassembly procedures and fault diagnosis flows on a three-dimensional model. The method removes wear on the real system, its withdrawal from the line for training, and the cost of ammunition and spare parts. The 2026 catalog of Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) lists products in this field under the heading “virtual maintenance simulators”; in an earlier version of the company’s website the product appeared on a separate page under the name “Virtual Maintenance Simulator.” According to the official BİTES page, the systems consist of four main modules:
- Animated training material
- Three-dimensional training material
- Three-dimensional illustrated parts catalog
- User, examination, fault detection and clearance, and maintenance and repair modules
Official project list
| Project | Customer |
|---|---|
| SERDAR Weapon System Fault Diagnosis and Maintenance | ASELSAN |
| DRAGONEYE Interactive and Animated Training Material | ASELSAN |
| COUGAR, TESİM | HAVELSAN |
| ZMA Fault Diagnosis and Maintenance System | ASELSAN |
| SİPER Virtual Fault Diagnosis Training System | ASELSAN |
| ALKAR Interactive and Animated Training Material | ASELSAN |
| GÖKDENİZ Interactive and Animated Training Material | ASELSAN |
| HİSAR-O Interactive and Animated Training Material | ASELSAN |
The list was taken from the “Projects” section of the official product page. The company’s presence in the training infrastructure of current air defense programs such as SİPER indicates that maintenance training is prepared in parallel with the new systems themselves.
Augmented reality supported maintenance
The SSB 2026 catalog separately lists an augmented reality based maintenance system among BİTES products. In this approach, maintenance personnel carry out procedures while viewing instructions overlaid on the equipment through AR glasses or a tablet. The T129 ATAK Helicopter XR Maintenance Training project carried out for HAVELSAN, which appears on the company’s mixed reality project list, is the concrete example in this field. The relationship between BİTES and the T129 ATAK, a Turkish-built attack helicopter, goes back further: according to the company’s corporate history, it took on the computer-based training and virtual maintenance training (WBT-VMT) program for the T129 ATAK in 2014.
Interactive digital training content
The SSB catalog also contains an entry for an “interactive digital training system”; its counterpart on the official website is the interactive and animated training material produced for DRAGONEYE, ALKAR, GÖKDENİZ and HİSAR-O. This content consists of modules that explain the working principle of the system through animation, step-by-step disassembly and reassembly scenarios, and examination sections. The COUGAR and TESİM work carried out for HAVELSAN are examples on the helicopter and tactical training simulation side. The company’s XperLMS learning management system can be used to distribute and track the content within an institution.
Who is it for, and what does it deliver?
The buyers of maintenance training systems are the prime contractors supplying the systems (ASELSAN, HAVELSAN) and the training centers of end user units. The company presents the concrete gains of the method under the following headings: reduced need for the real system for training, a standard examination and assessment flow, and rapid access to parts catalogs. No independent cost-effectiveness measurement is publicly available. The engine familiarization and maintenance training project carried out for a naval vocational school and for BMC POWER is cited as an example of the solution’s use outside military platforms.
Its place in the portfolio
Maintenance training, together with mission simulators and embedded simulations, makes up the company’s “Training and Simulation Systems” category. The XperLMS learning management system can be used to manage training content; products outside the category are listed in the BİTES product guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which systems was the virtual maintenance simulator built for?
The official list includes training material and fault diagnosis systems for SERDAR, ZMA, SİPER, ALKAR, GÖKDENİZ, HİSAR-O and DRAGONEYE.
Who was the ATAK helicopter maintenance training built for?
The XR maintenance training was for HAVELSAN; the WBT-VMT program of 2014 appears in the company’s corporate history as an award.
Is the AR maintenance system used in the field?
It is listed as a product in the SSB catalog; which units use it has not been officially disclosed.
Are there sales to the civilian sector?
The engine familiarization and maintenance training project for a naval vocational school and for BMC POWER appears on the official list.
Is training effectiveness measured?
The systems contain examination and assessment modules; no independent effectiveness measurement has been published.
Sources and verification note
- https://bites.com.tr/tr/products — Fault Diagnosis and Maintenance Training Material Systems and Mixed Reality product pages, project lists (Accessed: August 12, 2026)
- https://bites.com.tr/tr/about — 2014 T129 ATAK WBT-VMT entry (Accessed: August 12, 2026)
- SSB 2026 Product Catalog — entries for the augmented reality based maintenance system and virtual maintenance simulators
Project values, delivery dates and places of use have not been disclosed, so no estimates have been made in this file.
