Sinerjitürk: Turkish Defence Industry is Getting Ready for 2023
The third annual Sinerjitürk – Defence and Aviation Technology event took place in Çeşme, İzmir between 11-14 October. Hasan Kemal Yardımcı, National Defence Deputy Minister, Murad Bayar Undersecretary for Defence Industries (SSM), Dr. Hasan Palaz, TÜBİTAK Vice President, SSM officials, representatives from Research Institutions, academicians and Turkish Defence Industry firms attended the event in which the technological sufficiency and technological leadership strategies towards the year 2023 were determined as a main theme. Sinerjitürk President Mr. Abdullah Raşit Gülhan gave the opening speech of the event that lasted for four days and in his remark he noted that the theme of the event was the vision for 2023. He stated that Republic of Turkey is aiming to become one of the greatest 10 economies of the world in her hundredth anniversary of foundation and that this goal could only be achieved through a harmonious coordination among the leading sectors and the institutions and universities. Gülhan added that the technological dominance would lead us to these goals. Murad Bayar, Undersecretary for Defence Industries took the floor during the opening speech of the event and told that certain steps should be taken in order to reach the goal of the 2023 vision and exist among the top ten economies of the world and that he determined some points regarding this issue. Bayar stated in his speech that for achieving technological dominance, a country has to manufacture products in aviation, automotive, health and telecommunication industries and become a brand in those sectors. "We have another ten years ahead until 2023 and ten-year is not a long period for achieving these goals. We have to make most of the time we have left and operate in a fully efficient manner to produce our national combat aircrafts and automobiles so that we could have a chance to succeed" said Bayar. In his speech Bayar also mentioned that in their agenda they have the production of an authentic national combat aircraft, tank, helicopter and satellite as goals for 2023 and that Turkey should establish a strategy, a plan for accomplishing these targets. Bayar added that in order to survive in the competitive environment, Turkey has to have a technological dominance and that she should attach great importance to R&D in order to become one of the top ten economies of the world. Bayar marked that defence sector’s R&D units had more engineers than all of the other sectors however for achieving the aforementioned goals still there is a lack in the aspects of human resources and technology. Bayar stated that this obstacle could be overcome with the synergy created by the companies, sub-industry, research institutions and universities.
Bayar emphasized that the institutions would have to improve their cooperation skills for the 2023 target and continued: "Our aim is to strengthen the cooperation between the institutions. We have to be aware and informed of each other’s activities and if we cannot succeed in setting the correct scenario then failure would be inevitable in the long run.
Bayar: "Germany and South Korea are Important Models"
Murat Bayar, Undersecretary for Defence Industries, stated that Germany and South Korea are the countries that should be taken as models for Turkey and that the efficiency and industrial development of these countries should be analysed pointing out to the fact that Germany increased its exportation in the European environment even though such high costs. Bayar extended information on South Korea’s industrial progress as well and continued: "Asia went through a huge crisis in 1998 and before the crisis, there were five big groups in Korea and in those days they operated as "engaged in all activities group". They operated in textile, tourism, fashion, energy, retails and industry to a certain extent and they were all affectedby the crisis. As a result of all the hardship they suffered, the Korean government offered them a solution on the condition that they should select a field and specializeon it. So Samsung chose electronics, Hyundai selected automotive industry and they became huge in the world within a ten-year period. The remaining groups followed the same path and also became global players and succeeded in ten years. Of course this is a risky process, there is a risk of failure and it should be analysed carefully".
Bayar stated in his speech that they aim to establish an infrastructure in which the sector is supported by the universities and research institutions, and decrease the number of big players while increasing the amount of small players. He expressed that Turkish companies should specialize in certain fields for global competition and that they should increase their competitiveness. In the last part of his speech Bayar said that all capacities and capabilities should be activated, resources should be efficiently used and cooperation skills should be increased for success and as a result of a realistic and structured roadmap, the 2023 target shall be achieved.
Vision 2023
Following Undersecretary for Defence Industries Murad Bayar, Sedat Güldoğan Deputy Undersecretary of SSM made a Vision 2023 themed presentation and pointed out that their primal goal as SSM would be industrialization, he expressed their efforts to stimulate Turkey’s technological infrastructure.Güldoğan mentioned that Turkey has specific demands and a defence budget amounted up to 10-12 billion dollars and continued: "Merely the domestic market is not sufficient for a sustainable industry; we have to be active in the foreign markets as well. We have come a long way in the last five years on this issue, we launched the joint production phase in 1990s and by 2000s we started to design and develop our own products and platforms. The figures for sub-industry were approximately 20% in 2007 and we increased this figure up to 30% by achieving a certain level in sub-industry operations.
Güldoğan: "Target for Industrial Participation Offset Application is 70%"
Deputy Undersecretary Sedat Güldoğan, announced their expectations regarding the target for the national participation offset implementation as 70% with the increase in the industrial capacity, whereas until 2011 the national participation remained at 50%. Mentioning the new project models and plans with the Defence Industry Executive Committee’s calls in 2004, Güldoğan continued his words regarding the last ten years: "As a result of these project models, our indigenous products such as Milgem, Atak, Anka, Altay, Hürkuş were manufactured and this production process is still continuing. Now we are in the process of understanding and managing the technology. We have to render this growth in the capacity and volume sustainable. We are accumulating a great level of engineering know-how in defence sector. Of course one of the most prominent components is to support the human resources andskills and mature the improved technologies with R&D and technology demonstration projects and without dissolving this capacity. We are striving to learn and understand these processes". In his presentation, Güldoğan shared some figures with the participants related to the volume of the defence industry in the last ten years. He informed that the growth of the sector reached up to 4,5 billion dollars, exporting increased to the level of 1,1 billion dollars and R&D (including all funds) expenses raised to 700 million dollars and that the rate of national participation went up to 54 %.
Güldoğan emphasized that their motto according to the strategic plan for 2012-2016 is technological superiority and a sustainable industry while mentioning their goals as an endorsement of 8 billion dollars and exportation level of 2 billion dollars and assured the participants that the industrial deepening is their priority besides these targets.
Güldoğan: "We have our sights set for Turkey specialized even at the component levels"
Güldoğan commented on the point that the Defence Industry’s development process has reached: "We reached a certain level in land, naval and aerial platforms and started a study on the engine and transmission, power group. The proposals are being evaluated now. We are working on the satellite projects and also accomplishing successful projects on consortium programmes and their subsystems, missile and ammunition programmes as well. Obviously, the production of platforms is not sufficient, we also have to master in the system integration, software and hardware while specializing at the component levels. All these issues may give rise to obstacles in exportation, if you do not encounter a problem in country A, you might come across an issue in country B. Sometimes even a single component raises a problem. We are working on a solution to find a way to produce these materials".
Güldoğan: "Undersecretary for Defence Industry is now in charge of project authorization"
Sedat Güldoğan, SSM Deputy Undersecretary, also made important comments regarding the agenda. "Through a Decree of the Council of Ministers, we diminished the Executive Committee’s authorities and vested them in our Undersecretary. Decisions related to project initiation, start and end of tendering procedures would be under the authorities of our Undersecretary and this shall simplify the procedures. A regular source shall be allocated for this and we would have a clearer sight for future." said Güldoğan.
Güldoğan also stated that they put forth the technological acquisition as an obligation for further strengthening the cooperation among the main contractors, technology producing firms, universities and research institutions and added that they used 2 % of each project for technological acquisition. Güldoğan also said that the synergy reached was great, no matter how small the volume achieved until now.
Steel Vests with Liquid Armour shall be in Turkish Armed Forces’ service in 2013
Güldoğan expressed that they are watching closely the technological field related to all country’s components and noted that they are working with TUBİTAK to form a vision together. "There is an intensive study on technological acquisition in the universities and every university is focusing on a different issue. For example one academician in İzmir was working on liquid body armour and did his doctorate on this subject. We wonder if we could manufacture our soldiers a steel vest with liquid armour and I hope Turkish Armed Forces personnel would wear such light-weighted vests and have a better manoeuvrability." added Güldoğan.
PROJECT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A LIGHT-WEIGHTED VEST WITH LIQUID ARMOUR
Agreement on the Project for Development of a Light-Weighted Vest with Liquid Armour was signed with Barış Elektrik Endüstrisi A.Ş. on 22 March 2012. Project’s objective is to develop a protective and tight-fitting vest that weighs lighter than the existing anti-ballistic protective composite vests protecting the Turkish Armed Forces Personnel from the ballistic effects of the bullets and shrapnel effects of the explosives without limiting the mobility of the personnel.
While giving information on the progress of the defence industry in the world, Güldoğan noted that Turkey may become one of the top 10 countries by improving 2023 vision and her structural transformation. Güldoğan told that they are working hard on the feasibility of future projects and said the talks are heavy on Göktürk-3, T-2000 and FX projects. "We recently discussed FX with the participation of almost 100 people from SSM, Air Forces Command and Industry for 4 hours. With all the decision makers and players together, an amazing synergy emerged. These visions and targets make the meetings and plans meaningful and concrete. Now we are thinking on which R&D projects we should accelerate within the scope of FX." added Güldoğan.
Following the break after Seda Güldoğan’s speech, the second part of the first day of the event started. Dr. Hasan Palaz, TÜBİTAK’s Vice President and Head of Centre of Research for Advanced Technologies of Informatics and Security, informed the participants on TÜBİTAK’s studies as a guest speaker. A panel on the progressing technologic fields in the world took place after Palaz’s presentation.
Dr. Süleyman Anıl from NATO’s Head Cyber Defence Section in Belgium briefed on the threat strategies of NATO considering the years 2010-2020. In his presentation Anıl stated that NATO draws attention to the ballistic missile threats, global terrorist actions and cyber threats under the scope of this threat-strategic concept and he underlined that the NATO gives great importance especially to cyber threats. He told that, in line with a decision taken in Lisbon meeting of 2010, both NATO as a whole and all members of NATO individually pursued studies on cyber threats issue and that the results of these studies would be shared with NATO in 2013. Anıl mentioned in his speech that NATO is conducting studies to establish its own computer network.
Among the speakers of the Panel, Alev Karasulu from Apache Software Foundation mentioned that in the future, UAV fleets would be established and controlled remotely and presented information on the UAV with open source software and hardware and development of such systems in the world.
Turkey owns the World’s 1000 years of Boron Production
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Somer from Koç University’s Department of Chemistry made a presentation on boron production in Turkey and usage of boron in defence industry in the Panel and remarked that Turkey has 72% of world’s boron reserves and approximately 1000 years of boron production. "The total volume of trade regarding boron products in the world is 1,5-2 billion dollars, however Turkey, having 72% of the world’s boron reserves, has a share of merely 3% of the market of 1 billion dollars according to the figures of 2010" said Somer. Somer mentioned that boron is a mineral with solid fuel characteristics and gave information to the participants on elemental boron’s usage area in Turkey. Somer stated that Amorphous Boron could be used in various ways as a dopant for igniter (Air Bag), rocket fuel, signal lights, emery and abrasives, in hardening steel, semi-conductors and added that as a result of certain operations/processes it could also be used as an armour production material in tanks and other armoured vehicles, as a construction material in aerial vehicles and spacecrafts, and could also be used in the production of heat shields and super magnets.In the final part of his presentation, Somer emphasized that Turkey should invest in boron for developing products with high-end technology in the defence industry field independently. Doç. Dr. İzzet Gökhan Özbilgin from Turkish Aviation Association University took the floor after Somer and briefed on the studies they are conducting as University.
The last panel of the day, named "Being a Global Actor at Defence Industry", took place, which is moderated by Lütfi Varoğlu, Head of International Cooperation Department of SSM. Haluk Bulucu, Director at FNSS Defence Systems, Dearsan Chairman of the Board Baki Gökbayrak, from TAIVice President-Strategic Planning &Industrial Cooperation, Yılmaz Güldoğan, OSSA Ostim Defence and Aviation Group Ali Han, and Yakupoğlu Chairman of the Board Vedat Yakupoğlu and made presentations regarding their companies’ developing processes and studies in the panel.
On the third day of the event, panels on: "Could the recent developments in defence technology create opportunities for Turkey?" and areas in which the companies would like to cooperate, sub-contractor relations, market hardships and legislation took place. The 3-day event ended after the conclusion and assessments.
The level of participation to this year’s Sinerjitürk defence platform was lower compared to the previous events but with the synergy emerged, the issues such as sector problems, future plans, recent developments in the world and things-to-do in order to achieve the determined targets were discussed. Decision makers worked together with the main contractors and small and medium sized enterprises at the event for finding solutions to the current issues and put forward their comments and visions in a transparent manner creating a forward step on achieving sector’s targets. The firm messages put forth at Sinerjitürk regarding the vision for 2023, road maps and strategies for future plans, things-to-do for efficient use of the capabilities and achieving the goals were promising aspects of the event. Turkey has a short but also a long period of time of ten years in front of her for accomplishing 2023 targets. The performance and level of solidarity displayed by the leading sectors on this agenda will identify our position in this marathon.
