Does FOTONİKS export? Trade fairs and the indirect model
Quick answer: FOTONİKS does export, but the model disclosed so far is predominantly indirect. The vehicle cameras and sensor systems it manufactures leave the country aboard armoured vehicles exported by Turkish platform makers. In addition, the company disclosed in March 2026 that it was producing optical systems and turret weapon system command-and-control units for the tank modernisation programme of a friendly and allied country. Customer countries and contract values have not been officially disclosed.
How does the indirect export model work?
In an interview published in May 2021 by MSI Turkish Defence Review (MSI TDR), general manager Cem Yazıcıoğlu said exports at the time ran indirectly, with platform-integrated systems shipped abroad together with the host platforms. The same interview contained a concrete example: the company’s driver’s vision enhancer (DVE) cameras were in serial production on the export vehicles of a Turkish armoured vehicle manufacturer. The manufacturer was not named; the company’s reference list includes land systems makers such as FNSS and UNIDEF. In the same interview Yazıcıoğlu also set out a target of generating 50 percent of revenue from exports by 2025; how far that target was met has not been officially disclosed.
Signs of a shift towards direct exports
Speaking to Defensehere in March 2026, sales and marketing manager Altan Bora said the company was supplying products under modernisation projects abroad, and that it was producing optical systems for the tanks of a friendly and allied country along with the command-and-control units of their turret weapon systems. Tank modernisation falls within the mission area of the gunner sight systems in the KESKİN family, although which products are used in the project has not been officially disclosed.
What does the 2025-2026 exhibition calendar show?
The company’s events page shows export marketing spread across three continents. After taking stand 8-A03 in Hall 8 at IDEF 2025 in Istanbul, the company attended the Enforce Tac exhibition in Nuremberg in February 2026 and the DSA exhibition in Kuala Lumpur in April 2026. Enforce Tac is one of Europe’s leading fairs for internal security and law enforcement equipment; DSA is known as Southeast Asia’s largest defence exhibition, and the organisers said its 2026 edition drew more than 1,300 companies from 60 countries. The choice of those two markets matches the company’s two product lines: dismounted soldier systems for law enforcement and platform systems for defence.
| Exhibition | Date | Location | Market focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| IDEF 2025 | 2025 | Istanbul (Hall 8, 8-A03) | Global defence, home market |
| Enforce Tac 2026 | February 2026 | Nuremberg, Germany | Law enforcement and internal security (Europe) |
| DSA 2026 | April 20-23, 2026 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Southeast Asian defence |
The thresholds standing in the way of exports
Detector supply is a decisive threshold in electro-optics exports, since cooled thermal detectors are subject to export controls in most countries. That is why the framework Yazıcıoğlu set out in 2021 matters: products whose design and critical technology belong to the company can be exported without requiring third-country permission. The company’s NATO Secret facility security clearance and AS 9100 certificate provide the groundwork for working with allied countries. International procurement records are also in place: the company is defined in the NATO codification system through its NCAGE code (TC076) and in the US federal procurement system through its SAM registration. On the Turkish side, defence product exports are conducted under Ministry of National Defence (MSB) permits and the relevant legislation; details of the company’s export licensing procedures have not been officially disclosed. The full product range subject to export is listed in the product guide, and the systems carried by the dismounted soldier in the night vision file.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries does FOTONİKS export to?
Customer countries have not been officially disclosed. The company has said only that it manufactures for the tank modernisation programme of a friendly and allied country and that its products are exported together with Turkish armoured vehicles.
How large are its exports?
Not officially disclosed. The only known numerical target is the one announced in 2021, of generating 50 percent of revenue from exports by 2025; no data on its realisation has been published.
What is produced under the tank modernisation project?
According to the company’s March 2026 statement, optical systems for the tanks and the command-and-control units of their turret weapon systems. The country, tank type and quantity were not disclosed.
What does indirect export mean?
It means the company’s product leaves the country aboard a platform, such as an armoured vehicle, exported by another Turkish manufacturer. The contract is signed with the platform maker; the subsystem producer does not deal directly with the foreign customer.
Is the company subject to export licensing?
In Türkiye, defence product exports require permits from the Ministry of National Defence (MSB) under the relevant legislation. The company also states that products of its own design are not caught by third-country export controls.
Sources and verification note
- https://www.savunmahaber.com/en/fotoniks-cem-yazicioglu-10-th-year-anniversary-interview/ (MSI TDR, May 23, 2021; via archived copy) — Accessed: August 12, 2026
- https://defensehere.com/tr/fotoniksten-fuzyon-termal-kamera-amacimiz-askerin-durumsal-farkindaligini-artirmak/ (March 30, 2026) — Accessed: August 12, 2026
- https://www.fotoniks.com.tr/tr/etkinliklerimiz — Accessed: August 12, 2026
- https://fotoniks-askeri.idef.com.tr/ — Accessed: August 12, 2026
- https://www.kallman.com/show/dsa-2026/ (scale of DSA 2026 participation) — Accessed: August 12, 2026
- https://www.fotoniks.com.tr/tr/biz-kimiz/referanslarimiz — Accessed: August 12, 2026
No claim involving a country, a value or a quantity was filled in by estimate in this file; undisclosed areas are stated as such.
