What is FEMSAN? Turkey’s electric motor manufacturer
FEMSAN (Femsan Elektrik Motorları San. ve Tic. A.Ş.) is a Turkish company established in Istanbul in the 1988-1989 period that designs and manufactures brushed and brushless DC motors, servo motors, alternators and electromechanical actuators. Headquartered in Pendik Kurtköy, the company supplies motors and drive subsystems to prime contractors of the Turkish defense industry, above all ASELSAN and Roketsan. Its most widely reported work includes the propulsion motor of the AKYA national torpedo and the flight control servo motors of the ANKA unmanned aerial vehicle.
What fields does FEMSAN operate in?
The company’s product range falls into two main lines: standard motor series aimed at the industrial market, and motors and subsystems developed specifically for defense and aviation programs. According to the official industrial catalog, the production program covers permanent magnet DC motors, brushless DC (BLDC) motors, slotless BLDC motors, brushless servo motors, square-frame DC motors, alternators and electromechanical actuators. The company also trades in complementary components such as motor drives, gearboxes, encoders, resolvers and magnetic brakes.
| Product group | Power/torque range | Notable application |
|---|---|---|
| Brushless servo motors | 1-70 Nm | Weapon platforms, machine tools |
| BLDC motors | 0.25-7.5 kW | Guided munitions, battery-powered vehicles |
| DC motors | 0.18-397 kW | Industrial drives, lifting systems |
| Electromechanical actuators | Project-specific | Remote controlled weapon stations |
| Alternators and power systems | Project-specific | Unmanned aerial vehicles |
Brief history
The company’s starting year is given as 1988 on its official website and LinkedIn profile, but as 1989 in its SAHA Istanbul member profile and its own industrial catalog. According to an account by industrialist İlhami Pektaş, the company was founded by three partners with backgrounds in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and business administration; production began in a 100-square-meter workshop with two motor types and grew over time to more than 100 motor models at a 5,500-square-meter facility. The company has stated that it completed its first localization project in the first half of the 2000s and has supplied servo motors to ASELSAN weapon platforms without interruption since 2011.
Position in the defense industry
FEMSAN completed the Servo Motor Development Project, run with the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) as prime authority, and announced that foreign dependency had been eliminated for the servo motors used in the flight control systems of the ANKA and strategic unmanned aerial vehicles. In the Roketsan-led AKYA national torpedo program, the company took responsibility for the propulsion system and developed a seven-phase electric motor and its controller designed by Turkish engineers. Other publicly reported work includes actuators for remote controlled weapon stations, motors for munitions such as the MAM-L and precision guidance kits, the nose landing gear wheel centering lock mechanism of the GÖKBEY helicopter, and electric power converters for the ATAK-2 and HÜRJET platforms. Details are compiled in the FEMSAN defense projects file.
Certifications and memberships
The company’s official website publishes its AS9100 Rev D, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 quality certificates, Facility Security Clearances under the Turkish Ministry of National Defence and NATO frameworks, an EYDEP assessment certificate and a strategic partnership document with ASELSAN. FEMSAN is a member of SAHA Istanbul, the OSTİM Defence and Aviation Cluster and SASAD.
Facilities and production infrastructure
The head office and main production plant are located in Pendik Kurtköy; the defense unit operates at a separate address on the Teknopark Istanbul campus, and chairman of the board Ertuğrul Ülker has said the company works across three sites in Pendik. According to Ülker’s interview with Defense Here, the workforce is around 350 people, roughly 200 blue-collar and 150 white-collar. The machine park includes universal and CNC machine tools as well as dedicated coil winding machines; the sales and application network is supported by locations in Ankara, İzmir, Konya and Adana.
Concordat process
According to reports in the business press, FEMSAN together with Mogeser and MOPA Endüstriyel, which belong to the same shareholder group, filed for concordat (a Turkish court-supervised debt restructuring procedure) on 28 July 2025, citing financial difficulties; the court granted the companies a three-month provisional respite and appointed a panel of commissioners. The definitive status of the subsequent stages of the process is not officially disclosed. The company’s product and project announcements continue to be published.
Frequently asked questions
What does FEMSAN manufacture?
It manufactures brushed and brushless DC motors, servo motors and their drives, alternators, electromechanical actuators and control units. The full range is listed in the FEMSAN products guide.
Which defense programs has FEMSAN worked on?
According to public sources, it has worked on the AKYA national torpedo propulsion system, ANKA servo motors, the GÖKBEY landing gear mechanism, ATAK-2 and HÜRJET power converters, and actuators for remote controlled weapon stations.
Is FEMSAN a state-owned company?
No. FEMSAN is a privately held joint-stock company; its founding and ownership structure are examined in the Who owns FEMSAN? file.
Where does FEMSAN manufacture?
The main plant is in Pendik Kurtköy, Istanbul; the defense unit operates on the Teknopark Istanbul campus.
Does FEMSAN export?
Company management has stated that it exports to about 10 countries across the Middle East, the Far East and Europe; details are covered in the exports file.
Sources and verification note
The information in this file was compiled from the sources below. Accessed: August 13, 2026. Where matters have not been disclosed, the phrase “not officially disclosed” is used.
- https://www.femsan.com/ (corporate pages and certificates)
- https://www.sahaistanbul.org.tr/firma/femsan-elektrik-motorlari-san-ve-tic-a-s
- http://www.sahaistanbul.org.tr/firma-haberleri/femsan-savunma-sanayisinin-yerlilik-oranini-artiran-cozumler-sunuyor
- https://www.ilhamipektas.com/femsan-savunma-sanayi-icin-elektrikli-motorlar-uretiyor/
- https://defensehere.com/tr/femsan-elektrik-motorlari/
- https://www.dunya.com/ekonomi/aselsan-ve-roketsanla-calisan-savunma-sanayi-sirketi-femsandan-konkordato-basvurusu-haberi-787049
- https://www.hannovermesse.de/apollo/hannover_messe_2023/obs/Binary/A1228817/FEMSAN%20END-2019-ENG.pdf
