ASSAN Group Defence Industry`s Participation in SAHA EXPO 2024 and General Manager Gürcan OKUMUŞ`s Assessment of the Fair

ASSAN Group Defence Industry, currently the only manufacturer in Türkiye with the capability to produce the entire Mk-80 series general purpose bomb family, signed a series of contracts with the UAE’s largest defence and aviation group EDGE Group and its subsidiary LAHAB during the SAHA EXPO 2024 Fair. These contracts cover both the sale of Mk-80 series bombs as well as joint product development and the establishment of a turnkey munition production line. The company is exporting Mk-80 series bombs to several countries, including the UAE, Brazil, Romania, and Bulgaria.

ASSAN Group Defence Industry previously signed two major contracts with the UAE in 2021 and 2023 for the export of aircraft bomb bodies, resulting in the export of more than 40,000 bomb bodies in the last 2 years. ASSAN Group Defence Industry will also establish a line for the serial production of Mk-80 series general-purpose bombs in Azerbaijan (Nakhchivan). This investment is expected to begin in 2025.

Continuing its efforts to design and produce all components (entire round, fuse, propellant, and propelling charge) of the new added 155mm artillery munitions to its product range, ASSAN Group Defence Industry aims to reach an annual production capacity of 360,000 units. The company plans to fill approximately half of these in 2025 at the GEPAT Explosive Manufacturing and Filling Facility in Bolu/Gerede and to produce them all as filled munitions by the end of 2026. For 122mm artillery rockets, the company aims for an annual production capacity of around 50,000 units.

During the SAHA EXPO 2024 Fair, we visited the ASSAN Group Defence Industry booth and received a brief assessment from General Manager Gürcan OKUMUŞ regarding the company’s participation in the Fair and its ongoing activities.

Defence Turkey: You are participating in the SAHA EXPO for the first time as the General Manager of ASSAN Group Defence Industry. Could you share your assessment of your participation and the interest shown by visitors over the past 3 days? You are exhibiting at a very large booth with a wide variety of products. What kind of requests are you receiving from domestic and international visitors? 

Gürcan OKUMUŞ: As you said, this is my first SAHA EXPO experience with ASSAN. It’s also the first time we have been here with such a large booth; it is nearly 750 square meters. We’ve had the opportunity to bring a very diverse range of our products. We focus on serial production and aim to achieve very high-volume serial production capabilities. We are already engaged in certain high-volume productions and are now adding our new products. The entire Mk series is here, as are our fragmentation munition types. We have also begun producing Russian-type aircraft bombs. We already had orders for these, and it looks like they will continue in high quantities. 

Defence Turkey: For Azerbaijan?

Gürcan OKUMUŞ: No, it's mainly for the African region. We currently have a formal contract from Africa, and we can see that demand will grow exponentially. We have already initiated some negotiations here as well. We will continue with FAB and OFAB bombs. Apart from that, our 155 mm investment is ongoing. Hopefully, we will bring it online next year. Initial production will start around mid-2025, and we'll have increased capacity by the end of that year. As for the 122mm line—right over here—we're still working on establishing the infrastructure. In other words, 2025 will be the year we begin to reap the rewards of our investments on a large scale.

Defence Turkey: You are exhibiting the double-base propellant version here, right?

Gürcan OKUMUŞ: Yes. We will have both double-base and composite propellant versions, with ranges of 20km and 40km. In fact, we will be moving on to different variants as well.

Defence Turkey: Have you started producing the 122mm artillery rocket as ASSAN?

Gürcan OKUMUŞ: For the moment, we can say we’re in the trial production phase. We’re currently purchasing some parts; for example, the tail section is being procured, and we’re doing some trial productions within our infrastructure. Production with our own components will start around January-February 2025, but large-scale production will begin around March-April 2025, during the first quarter of the year. We also plan to conduct qualification tests during this period.

Defence Turkey: You are also displaying the 120mm mortar here for the first time.

Gürcan OKUMUŞ: We will have various types of mortars in our product range. We are currently working on new products as well. The Secretariat of Defence Industries (SSB) and the Ministry of National Defence (MoND) have certain demands. We also have requests coming from abroad. We will introduce mortars in different calibers, including Russian-standard, Russian-type mortars.

Defence Turkey: Are the mortars you produce essentially the same as conventional 120mm mortars, or do they differ in certain aspects? For example, are they lighter or capable of firing faster?

Gürcan OKUMUŞ: We are working on such improvements. We produce barrels that are both rifled and smoothbore. Currently, there is greater demand for smoothbore. There will be different versions, but as I mentioned, we focus on serial production. Rather than making niche products, we concentrate on products that can be produced in very high quantities.

Defence Turkey: Many of the products you are showing here are new. The IDEF Fair is also approaching. At IDEF ‘25, will you present new surprises or showcase these products as tested, partially fielded, and proven?

Gürcan OKUMUŞ: We plan to introduce something new at IDEF. Perhaps we will have some surprises. But it won’t be a surprise if I say it now. For example, regarding the 155mm munitions, we are currently thinking about ranges of 20km-40km. However, simultaneously, we have plans and targets for 56km and 76km ranges, which are essentially longer-range 155mm variants. The Powerpack Directorate is working on some initiatives, and we might also present something on the Powerpack side. We are working on different classes of munitions. We may have some efforts related to land munitions, RPG-7, and similar systems. These will become clearer over time, but we will bring new products to IDEF.

Defence Turkey: Thank you, Mr. Gürcan, for your time, and we wish you success in your endeavors