There are 2 different agreements which are done in TRY and USD separately, so total of 1.2 billion USD is the figure for only USD based ones, 0.8 billion comes from TRY ones
A record 52 billion lira contract in the Turkish defense industry
One of the record-breaking contracts of the Turkish defense industry sector was signed between ASELSAN and TAI today. The contract covers aircraft modernization.
Today, ASELSAN and TAI signed two different contracts regarding aircraft modernization. The cost of the first contract was 2,618,751,172 Turkish Liras and 132,078,069 USD; The second contract is 18,073,289,646 Turkish Liras and 1,065,303,880 US Dollars, with a total value of 20,692,040,818 Turkish Liras and 1,197,381,949 US Dollars.
It was not disclosed to which project the two contracts, whose approximate value corresponds to 52 billion Turkish Liras, are related. However, it is emphasized that an aircraft modernization project of this size may be related to the F-16 ÖZGÜR Project, which was delivered for the first time recently . Nevertheless, the exact information is expected to be announced by the Ministry of National Defense and the Presidency of Defense Industries in the future.
ÖZGÜR Project
The ÖZGÜR Project will also be integrated into the F-16s in the Turkish Air Force inventory. Many critical missiles and pods such as GÖKDOĞAN, BOZDOĞAN, GEZGİN, ATMACA, ÇAKIR, GÖKHAN, ASELPOD, EHPOD and SOM will be used in F-16s.
The avionics modernization project first applied to the F-16 Block 30 warplanes;
- National Mission Computer,
- System Interface Unit,
- Cockpit Upper Front Control Panel,
- Fuel Hydraulic Indicator, Engine Indicator Display,
- Emergency Indicator,
- National Sound Safety Device,
- National Friend - Foe Identification (IFF) System,
- Multimode Receiver,
- Inertial Navigation System,
- Interface Blanking Unit,
- It includes the Center Cockpit Display and the Color Multifunction Display integration.
On the other hand, MURAD AESA Radar, which is under development, is expected to be integrated into aircraft in the future.
@SavunmaSanayiST.com
Aselsan is a stock exchange listed company. It has to reveal every transaction. They have released within that scope that they have signed a deal worth around 2 billion dollars worth with TUSAS.
www.kap.org.tr
Ohhh, now I get it. Thanks for the explanation.Aselsan is a stock exchange listed company. It has to reveal every transaction. They have released within that scope that they have signed a deal worth around 2 billion dollars worth with TUSAS.
KAP
At the bottom of this official file it is clearly stated that there are two portions of this deal. One portion is in US dollars (presumably due to Aselsan sourcing parts in dollars itself and has to make a contract in dollars) as well as a portion of the contract being in TL; 20.7 billionTL for Turkish sourced goods (which is just under 0.8billion dollars) + 1.2 billion dollars for goods sourced in US dollars. So with exchange rate being what it’s is it is around 2 billion dollars in total.
www.defensenews.com
Turkish Aerospace, Aselsan ink $2B in deals to upgrade F-16 jets
Turkish Aerospace Industries has signed two contracts worth nearly $2 billion with the country’s largest defense company to upgrade F-16 fighter jets.
The deals announced by Aselsan, a military electronics specialist, were for $1.2 billion and 20.7 billion liras (U.S. $789.2 million).
The Biden administration has backed Turkey’s desire to buy 40 new F-16s as well as modernization kits from the U.S. It’s a move some in Congress, most notably Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, D-N.J, have opposed over Turkey blocking NATO membership for Sweden, its human rights record, its relations with Greece and other concerns.
Neither TAI nor Aselsan revealed details of the contracts, inked July 13. But a government procurement official and sources with the businesses told Defense News that the contracts are related to a program to upgrade Turkey’s aging F-16s, starting with the Block 30 level.
The upgrade program will include a new mission computer, an active electronically scanned array radar and new avionic suites for about 150 Turkish F-16 aircraft. The program will also include new cockpit color displays, a new indigenous identification friend or foe system, a new system interface unit, a hydraulic fuel gauge, new radar warning receivers, and an inertial navigation system.
The backbone of the upgrade program is a subsystem dubbed Ozgur (”free” in English) that aims to develop and produce Turkey’s first AESA radar, which Aselsan officials hope will extend the flight time for some of the country’s F-16 aircraft by half, to 12,000 hours.
Per upgrade plans, the AESA radar will first be retrofitted onto the Akinci, a drone built by TAI; then on a batch of 36 F-16 Block 30 aircraft; and, in the longer term, the TF-X, Turkey’s first indigenous fighter jet in the making. Block 30 is the only F-16 model whose source codes are available to Turkey.
“This deal has two implications: One, it is part of Turkish efforts to balance Greece’s increasing air superiority over the Aegean Sea, especially by buying new French-made Rafales; and two, once [the upgrade is successful and the aircraft is] combat proven, it may pave the way for Aselsan and TAI to penetrate into the world’s large F-16 modernization market,” said Ozgur Eksi, who runs the media outlet TurDef.
In 2019, Turkey requested the Link 16 tactical data link, among other technology, for 199 F-16 jets. Then, acording to January 2023 media reports, the Biden administration “informally notified Congress of its intent to sell 40 new F-16s in the Block 70/72 Viper configuration (F-16Vs) and Viper upgrade packages for 79 existing fighters, along with 900 air-to-air missiles and 800 bombs, at an estimated total value of $20 billion,” a document from the Congressional Research Service noted.
And in April, the U.S. State Department publicly approved the sale of equipment and services to Turkey in support of upgrading the European nation’s F-16 fleet in a potential deal worth an estimated $259 million. The Congressional Research Service wrote this possible sale appears to include the Link 16.
The Turkish Air Force declined to comment for this story, citing national security.
Aselsan is the biggest defense company in Turkey, and the 49th largest in the world based on defense revenue, according to the Defense News Top 100 list.
The company reported its total sales in 2022 reached 35.3 billion liras, and that its pretax depreciation and interest profit was 9.5 billion liras, a 77% rise from the year prior. Its net profit in 2022 rose by 70% to 11.9 billion liras.
Aselsan also reported that, during fiscal 2022, it successfully “localized/nationalized” 160 systems, meaning the business indigenously produced technology that the country was previously importing. Overall, the company boasts to have done so for a total of 670 systems.
For its part, Turkish Aerospace Industries ranked 67th on the Top 100 list.
After his re-election on May 28, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shuffled the government’s procurement hierarchy. Ismail Demir, who led the Presidency of Defence Industries, or SSB, was appointed board chairman of government-controlled steel and iron producer Kardemir. Haluk Gorgun, Aselsan’s CEO, replaced Demir.
A June 22 statement from the company said Aselsan’s new CEO is Ahmet Akyol, formerly the firm’s deputy general manager. He continues to serve as a board member at Aselsan.
Akyol is a computer engineer who underwent training at the U.S. college Stanford University and the U.K. school Cranfield University.
Akyol has a background in industry and government, having worked at military software provider Havelsan and simulation specialist Quantum3D, and with the Ministry of Industry and Technology as well as the Ministry of Defense, plus the state scientific research agency Tubitak. He also previously served as the head of electronic warfare and radar systems at the SSB (then known as SSM).
Turkish Aerospace, Aselsan ink $2B in deals to upgrade F-16 jets
The Biden administration has backed Turkey’s desire to buy 40 new F-16s as well as modernization kits from the U.S.
ÖZGÜR-2 Project was signed for F-16 Block 30, 40 and 50s.
With the projects initiated by the SSB, it is aimed to apply both structural improvement and ÖZGÜR modernisation to all F-16 Block-30 aircraft in the inventory, in addition to increasing the scope of structural and avionic modernisations in F-16 Block-30/40/50 aircraft.
Within the scope of the F-16 Block-30 ÖZGÜR-2 Project; External Load Certification of ammunition, miniature bombs and ASELPOD, integration of AESA Nose Radar to the Özgür Aircraft, integration of T Link, IFF BSC, RNE and 9681 V/UHF airborne radio equipment and Bozdoğan and HGK-82 ammunition to the F-16 Block-30 ÖZGÜR Aircraft to be modernised under the FEWS and Gökdoğan Integration Project Contract, and serial application of the final product is aimed.
Within the scope of the F-16 BLOK-40/50 ÖZGÜR-2 Project; The project aims to integrate ÖZGÜR Suite and AESA radar, FEWS, T Link, IFF BSC, RNE, ASELPOD, 9681 V/UHF airborne radio, SOM, HGK, KGK, LGK, Gökdoğan and Bozdoğan into F-16 Block 40/50 prototype aircraft, and to carry out structural improvement engineering activities on F-16 Block 40/50 prototype aircraft, and to mass implement the final product.
Deliveries within the scope of the F-16 Block-30 ÖZGÜR-2 Project are planned to be completed between 2025-2027, and deliveries within the scope of the F-16 BLOCK-40/50 ÖZGÜR-2 Project are planned to be completed between 2028-2030.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
F-16 Blok 30,40 ve 50’ler için ÖZGÜR-2 Projesi imzalandı
ÖZGÜR-2 Projesi resmen başlatıldı. Proje kapsamında Türk Hava Kuvvetleri envanterindeki F-16 Blok 30,40 ve 50 uçakları modernize edilecekwww.savunmasanayist.com
This showing of capability could create a huge export opportunity. Gulf countries are at the top of the list.
This one totally flew under the radar. Although nothing is known yet, it's a huge undertaking and will become the backbone of our networked warfare concept on land, air and sea. Biggest news of IDEF 23 for me so far.
Definetly, this modernization is the final step before a domestic AEWC Havelsan's workshare in current E-7T was already impressive it seems Aselsan is catching up
We are reaching a good point in Early Warning and Control Systems. Havelsan in particular has reached a very advanced level in Tactical and Operative level command and control systems. Havelsan 'Kartal' National Warning and Command Control Software will be a command and control system that will meet ACCS requirements on a national scale. The contract for this project was signed in 2021. On the other hand, Aselsan has reached a very good point in the scaling of AESA radars. There are also number of projects, on domestic infrastructure on TDL as well as other areas. Dozens of similar subfields can be listed here. These systems are not just domestic minimum equivalents, but globally competitive solutions, and we can even extend the examples to NATO's Intelligence Functional Services system tenders which Turkish companies playing great roles.
