BAE Systems Air in Turkey
What makes BAE Systems such a good collaborator in international markets like Turkey? For Alistair CASTLE, the company’s General Manager Turkey, the answer can be summed up in three simple words: a good listener.
The company has built a long track record of successful partnerships and technology development and nowhere is that better illustrated than on the TF-X programme.
BAE Systems role on TF-X is to help and advice, based on its know-how and experience built up over decades of aircraft development programmes. Of course, building a trusted relationship is more involved that simply transferring knowledge. It’s about creating dialogue, being ready to listen and being on hand to help.
“We are co-located with the customer in Turkish Aerospace, in Ankara, and we form part of their overall team and that’s massively important,” says CASTLE. It has around 90 people on the programme.
“This project is a great challenge. It is about developing a 5th generation fighter aircraft from scratch. It's not a case of us focussing on one particular capability area, our partners are drawing on the full depth of our experience.
“We are working in a supportive capacity with Turkish Aerospace and bringing a broad spectrum of engineering skills, based around the development of the aircraft. We have expertise in airframe structures, avionics integration and electronic systems design, while at the same time we can support project delivery areas and management functions.”
CASTLE's team here in Turkey have all earned their stripes. They have been involved in many different aircraft development programmes and are drawn from a range of disciplines too. They are talented individuals, collectively boasting a wealth of proven experience, from Tornado and Hawk through to Typhoon.
While that track record is impressive, BAE Systems is in the business of building collaborative and enduring partnerships for the future, which means having an eye on trends, challenges and threats, and responding by evolving and embracing different approaches.
Says CASTLE: “We are agile, able to adjust our approach and rapidly adapt to help our partners meet their challenges. I’d sum it up thus: we are a good friend to the customer, and, by that, I mean we are constantly listening and responding.
“Understanding the customer is absolutely vital because it underpins how we work together and how we can best deliver our capabilities in an efficient and effective manner. We also take time to think about what we're doing, consider what's working, and where we can improve. That's built into our DNA. We constantly ask ourselves how we can do better. That's how we transform. It's an approach we use globally.
“You have to be very clear about what you're trying to achieve and that's where carefully listening comes into play. We understand our capability — what we deliver and what we're good at it — but you are only good in an international environment if you pay attention to what your customers are trying to achieve. They have their own challenges and demands, and you need to understand these and have the ability to respond. That’s why being on the ground, working side by side with them is vital.”
This partnership approach is hardly unfamiliar territory for BAE Systems. From North America to the Gulf, and from the UK to Turkey, collaboration is a fundamental part of the company’s story.
“We have a very strong record of global collaboration both in terms of products, support and services,” he says. “We provide tailored solutions to the market offering sovereign capability and sustainable value. The latter could be industrial know-how, education, skills, training, or focussed on a specific product.”
On TF-X, BAE Systems is not selling a product, rather it is offering its services and know-how. However, beyond the fighter programme, there is a second focus in Turkey for the company in the shape of BNA.
A joint venture between BAE Systems and Nurol Aerospace, BNA is an avionics sub-systems design, development, production, and support house. It underscores BAE Systems’ long-term commitment to the market. BNA’s aim is to support the creation of high-tech high technology control systems. Essentially, its purpose is to help to grow Turkey's commercial industrial base within country.
And, while still a relatively new venture, the team is now established and BNA has already won contracts, both locally in country and in the export arena, notably in Germany.
While it is fair to say that TF-X was a catalyst to BNA’s creation it clearly represents a great example of what BAE Systems means by collaboration. Says CASTLE: “Turkey has a desire to create indigenous capability and it is on a journey. Our offer is designed to match and support that ambition and, if we can be, we want to be here for the long term”
