In addition to the representatives of SaSaD member companies; Vice Presidents of Defence Industries Dr.Celal Sami TÜFEKÇİ and Mr. Mustafa Murat ŞEKER, TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan MANDAL, Secretary General of ASO Dr. Yavuz CABBAR, heads of related MSB and SSB departments, and managers of other related institutions and organizations participated in the meeting.

The first part of the meeting started with the keynote speech of SaSaD Chairman of the Board Mr.Öner TEKİN.

Emphasizing that one of the main duties of each State/Government is to defend the country and ensure the safety of its citizens, TEKİN said: “The armed forces and independent defence industry are two powers that stand out the most on this matter. In order to coordinate these two powers in a proper way, we should improve the performance of the defence procurement process. Otherwise, the capabilities of the Turkish Defence Industry will gradually diminish, and important future projects will be procured from foreign sources.”

Stating that our country has already strengthened Defence Procurement Management successfully to prevent such a development, TEKİN continued: “The Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), which is directly responsible for the defence procurements and the development of the defence industry, and the Defence Industry Executive Committee (SSİK) was established to manage the defence industry programs. Thanks to these institutions, we have many privileges that other sectors do not have.”

Regarding the export figures of the Turkish defence and aviation sector, Mr. TEKİN shared the following information: “According to the Defence and Aerospace Exporters’ Association data, defence industry exports increased by 17% compared to the previous year and reached US$2.035 Billion. This figure indicates a positive picture in sector performance data, particularly Total Sales Amount, Product-Technology Development and Employment considering the steady increase of 3-4% for two years before 2018. We believe that this positive development will continue in 2019.”

Stating that SaSaD started to act as a single body for joint procurements and make agreements with the suppliers to create new opportunities for the members of the association, TEKİN indicated that the e-PTT cooperation protocol with the PTT was the first example of this.

Following the speech of SaSaD Chairman of the Board Öner TEKİN, SaSaD Secretary General Hüseyin BAYSAK provided information on the 2018 work plan and budget. After voting for regulation changes and discussing the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) membership, the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board were absolved, and the meeting was recessed.

Taking the floor at the second session of the meeting again, SaSaD Chairman of the Board Öner TEKİN stated that defining the defence industry policy and strategies is a very significant issue which is directly related to the development of the defence industry. “In order to define the defence related priorities of the country, the Defence Industry Policy and Strategy Document was published in 1998 with a decision of the Council of Ministers. According to this decree, the Ministry of National Defence will prepare a list of Critical Technologies & Products and update it every year. Sharing this study with the relevant industrialist is a highly important factor for us.”

President of Defence Industries Prof. Dr. İsmail DEMİR, in his speech at the Defence Industry Award Ceremony after the Ordinary General Assembly Meeting, stated that the SaSaD carried out the first cluster activities in the Turkish Defence Industry. Emphasizing the importance of manufacturing indigenous products, DEMİR said: “The SaSaD made significant contributions to the Turkish Defence Industry since its establishment. It acts as a guide for the sector and takes an active role in both domestic and international activities. The defence industry clusters are a highly connected family. It is quite necessary for this family to work together because the will to produce indigenous products in our country will always be one of the foundations of our independence and future.”

Emphasizing that the Turkish Defence Industry has achieved successes exemplified for other sectors and public structures, DEMİR said: “The threats against our country’s defence purchases made by our own free will clearly show that a foreign dependent defence industry does not provide any guarantee. Foreign dependency in the defence industry will be an obstacle for us in the future. Thus, when we talked about the national and domestic industry, we aimed to form the basis of trust in our own power.”

Sharing information about the 2018 performance of the defence sector, DEMİR pointed out that the turnover of the defence and aviation industry was realized as US$ 8.761 Billion with a 31% increase compared to the previous year. “Our defence industry exports increased by 20% compared to the previous year and reached US$ 2.188 Billion. Last year, we spent US$ 1.448 Billion on R&D. The defence industry allocates the highest amount of resources to R&D activities when compared among other sectors. Currently, the Turkish Defence Industry provides jobs for 67 thousand 239 people.” Underlining the importance of the domestic and national defence industry for strengthening Turkey’s security, DEMİR stated that they will continue their efforts to expand the sector with the Industrial Competency Assessment and Support Program (EYDEP) and the Capability Inventory (YETEN) portal, which will bring new players to the sector.

Following the speeches, awards were presented to the industrialists based on their 2018 performance in two categories as Large Enterprise and SME by the President of Defence Industries Prof. Dr. İsmail Demir, and Vice Presidents of Defence Industries Mustafa Murat ŞEKER and Dr.Celal Sami TÜFEKÇİ.

The following awards were presented at the SaSaD Defense Industry Award Ceremony;

Highest Total Sales Awards (Large Enterprise) 1st prize Aselsan

Highest Total Sales Awards (Large Enterprise) 2nd prize TUSAŞ/TAI

Highest Total Sales Awards (Large Enterprise) 3rd prize Turkish Technic

Successful R&D Output Awards Meteksan Defence

Successful R&D Output Awards Gür Metal

Successful R&D Output Awards TEI

Successful R&D Output Awards NANObiz

Highest Subcontractor Order Awards 1st prize Aselsan

Highest Subcontractor Order Awards 2nd prize Havelsan

Highest Subcontractor Order Awards 3rd prize Nurol Makina

Highest Foreign Sales Awards (Large Enterprise) 1st prize TUSAŞ

Highest Foreign Sales Awards (Large Enterprise) 2nd prize TEI

Highest Foreign Sales Awards (Large Enterprise) 3rd prize FNSS

Export Achievement Awards Baykar

Export Achievement Awards Roketsan

Highest Foreign Sales Awards (SME) 1st prize Vestel Defence

Highest Foreign Sales Awards (SME) 2nd prize Ata Arms

Highest Foreign Sales Awards (SME) 3rd prize ESEN

Highest Total Sales Awards (SME) 1st prize ATEL

Highest Total Sales Awards (SME) 2nd prize SDT

Highest Total Sales Awards (SME) 3rd prize CES Advanced Composite

Highest Sales Per Capita Awards (Value Added Product, SME) 1st prize ATEL

Highest Sales Per Capita Awards (Value Added Product, SME) 2nd prize ETA Electronic

Highest Sales Per Capita Awards (Value Added Product, SME) 3rd prize Turmaks