ARMELSAN New R&D Center Opened at Teknopark Istanbul
The inauguration ceremony was organized for the tenth anniversary of ARMELSAN with the participation of Mustafa ŞENTOP, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Prof. İsmail DEMİR, President of Defense Industry Agency, and Yetkin KARAKAŞ, ARMELSAN Chairman of the Board.
In his remarks at the ceremony, ARMELSAN Chairman of the Board Yetkin KARAKAŞ stated that only a very few countries worldwide are capable of producing the products they develop. “In our LEED-certified green center, which is outfitted with the latest technology and has an indoor area of 3,000 sqm on a total of 4,000 sqm space, we will employ more than 50 employees. What we have accomplished so far is just the beginning; we will keep working to help our country become a global power and to safeguard our blue legacy. We are committed strengthening our capabilities and achieving success on a global scale. In our tenth year, we are proud to put our R&D Center at our defense industry’s disposal.”
ARMELSAN Chairman of the Board Yetkin KARAKAŞ gave brief information about the company’s products that were developed as part of the domestic and national policies of the Presidency of Defense Industries. “The first product we developed was the ARAS-2023 Diver Detection Sonar, which is currently used on the TCG Anadolu. It will defend the 6-7-8th ships of the I-Class and the Barbaros Frigates. The NUSRAT-1915 Mine Hunting Sonar was our second product developed also under the coordination of the Presidency of Defense Industries. We have indigenously and nationally developed this sonar, which is currently owned by only two countries in the world, and it is waiting to be mounted on the E-Class (Engin), A-Class (Aydın), and the new national mine hunting vessel. Our other sonar is the ORKUN-2053 Helicopter Dipping Sonar. We were dependent on other countries for this system, but we have indigenized it, and hopefully we will have completed the sea tests in the second quarter of 2023.” KARAKAŞ continued his words by providing details on ARMELSAN's efforts to develop underwater unmanned systems: "When we were assigned the task of the KAŞİF Work Class Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV), we started working on KAŞİF-1 and produced it together with our subcontractors within a period of six months. KAŞİF is now an ROV operating at depths of 2,100 meters, for the longest time in Turkish history, running under the sea for 13 days without returning to the surface and for about 17 days with 2.5 hours of maintenance. It has over 13,000 hours of operation."
President of Defense Industry Agency Prof. İsmail DEMİR emphasized that the newly opened R&D Center will provide an added value to the growing and developing Turkish defense industry and said, “The defense industry needs to be considered as a whole. Our Turkish Armed Forces Foundation companies act as the flagship, but in fact the pyramid’s base is still very young and needs to expand. Turkey is moving forward in this field with the private and the public sectors, and we are continuing our national and domestic move. We intend to walk together in order to make this industry a global leader.”
Underlining that unmanned ground, naval and aerial systems will play a very critical role in the battlefield of the future, Prof.DEMİR stated that they anticipate a wide range of products to be developed, particularly those for underwater use. "We can achieve extremely significant technological advancements underwater, which is a really important concept. We can develop and produce a series of game-changing elements and products in this field. As you are aware, underwater operation with unmanned systems is a quite critical and challenging issue. For this reason, with the power and technology we will create both above and below the surface, we must have control over every inch of the Blue Homeland and preserve our national interests.”
