Under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of National Defense, the Presidency of Defense Industries, and the support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Turkish Defense and Aerospace Manufacturers Association (SaSaD) the 2nd International Military Radar and Border Security Summit (MRBS) was held by the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (MÜSİAD) in Ankara at the Hilton Garden Inn, between 2-3 October 2019. The two-day summit focused on strengthening surveillance and detection strategies, protecting critical areas, the work of the Military Radar Technologies and Domestic Industry in this direction, the latest developments in border management and border security technologies, the use of UAVs in cross-border operations and border security, mobile border security systems, and effectively utilizing radars, avionics, and sonar systems against land, sea and air threats.

Organized to support the development of the domestic and national defense industry and to increase export potential, the 2nd International Military Radar and Border Security Summit was held with the participation of Minister of Interior Affairs Süleyman SOYLU, Minister of National Defense Hulusi AKAR, Turkish Chief of General Staff General Yaşar GÜLER,  Commander of the Turkish Land Forces Ümit DÜNDAR, Commander of Turkish Naval Forces Admiral Adnan ÖZBAL, Commander of Turkish Air Forces General Hasan KÜÇÜKAKYÜZ, Vice President of Defense Industries Mustafa Murat ŞEKER, Governor of Ankara Vasip ŞAHİN, General President of MÜSİAD Abdurrahman KAAN, President of MÜSİAD Ankara Hasan Basri ACAR, and the MÜSİAD Ankara Defense Industry and Aviation Sector Chairman Fatih ALTUNBAŞ.

In his opening speech, MÜSİAD Ankara Defense Industry and Aviation Sector Chairman Fatih ALTUNBAŞ said: “With a stronger international identity, the summit will increase our exports and contribute to the economy of our country. In this regard, we will share the projects and capabilities developed in the field of military radar and border security and the experiences of users and manufacturers with you, our distinguished participants, with sessions and special presentations to be held for two days. The summit will also act as a medium where companies can share their products, technologies, and solutions with decision-makers. As MÜSİAD Ankara, we are closely following these developments about Radar and Border Security systems in our country. Being part of the solution by renewing every year and producing realistic and applicable global solutions makes us proud.”

President of MÜSİAD Ankara Hasan Basri ACAR: “IDEF should be held in Ankara.”

President of MÜSİAD Ankara Hasan Basri ACAR underlined that the Summit was organized with the active participation of 54 domestic and national defense industry companies that played an essential role in the development and growth of the Turkish defense industry. Emphasizing that a Defense Industry ‘Free Zone’ should be established in Ankara, ACAR pointed out that this would allow the defense industry companies to make export-oriented investments and to benefit from foreign trade opportunities. ACAR emphasized that the clustering of the defense industry in Ankara will contribute to the increase in production and employment, especially in terms of software and hardware. ACAR also said that it is important to organize defense industry fairs and summits in Ankara and suggested that IDEF, the defense industry’s most comprehensive event , should be held in Ankara.

General President of MÜSİAD Abdurrahman KAAN: “Turkey needs a strong defense industry for strong defense diplomacy.”

Taking the floor after President of MÜSİAD Ankara Hasan Basri ACAR, General President of MÜSİAD Abdurrahman KAAN, emphasized that the defense industry is one of the critical aspects of the diplomatic field and establishing national production and technology capability in the defense industry makes Turkey more potent in military diplomacy. Emphasizing that the domestic defense industry also supports numerous other sectors in terms of both technology and intermediate goods, KAAN pointed out that the defense industry is not only an upper sector branch but also a source of production and design knowledge.

The Latest Solutions in Border Security were Presented 

At the two-day summit, the latest developments in radar technologies, radar networks, command and control applications, anti-drone systems, airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar systems, and surveillance applications were discussed, and special panels were held on “Border Security Systems and Technologies,” “Ground Surveillance Systems,” “Mini/Micro UAV Detection & Anti-UAV Technologies,” “Radar Systems for Aerial Platforms,” “Solutions for Protecting Coastal Borders,” “Radar Technology Trends” and “Complementary Applications for Border Security.”

On the first day of the Summit, FNSS Business Development Manager Haldun OLGUN gave a presentation on the “Importance and Future of Land Vehicles in Border Security.” Meteksan Defense Business Development Manager M. Tolga ÇELİK and Software Design Manager Ali ÖZZEYBEK gave presentations on “Recent Developments in Border and Perimeter Surveillance Radars” and “Cognitive Radar, Radar Networks and Artificial Intelligence in Radar” respectively and shared the solutions of the company with participants. On the second day of the summit, HAVELSAN Senior System Engineer Tolga SÖNMEZ gave a presentation on “Border Awareness System.” and Nurol Makina Business Development & Bid Director Koray ÜRKMEN gave a presentation on the “Use of 4×4 Tactical Wheeled Vehicles in Border Security.”

During the summit 1,074 participants from 22 countries had the opportunity to follow the latest developments in the defense industry from 41 speakers who are experts in their fields. Summit participants also received information about current projects first-hand during B2B meetings from leading sector companies, including Aselsan, Havelsan, Havelsan Technology Radar, Roketsan, STM, MKEK, FNSS.

At the summit, the Ministry of National Defense (MSB) General Directorate of Military Factories and General Directorate of Military Shipyards signed goodwill and Strategic Cooperation Agreements with 29 local companies to reduce foreign dependence in the defense industry and to strengthen national and domestic production.