Turkish Armed Forces Foundation Compose Backbone of Turkish Defense Industries with Power of its Subsidiaries & Affiliates

TSKGV/TAFF, celebrating its 34th anniversary this year, has direct shares in a total of 14 companies, comprising 6 subsidiaries and 8 affiliates, each of which operating in important areas of our defense industry. As of today, taking into account the domestic and foreign companies in which the subsidiaries have direct or indirect shares, our Foundation has direct or indirect shares in a total of 61 companies. 

Having realized 42% of the Turkish Defense Industry's total sales and 33% of its exports in 2019, the share of subsidiaries in total R&D expenditures is at the level of 74%. The subsidiaries have 29% share in the total employment of the Turkish Defense Industry. In the 2019 ranking of Defense News, which ranks the 100 largest defense industry companies in the world according to their sales figures and is considered one of the most prestigious publications in this field, ASELSAN raised its position from 52nd to 48th place, TUSAŞ moved up 16 points to 53rd, ROKETSAN ranked 91st and HAVELSAN ranked 99th on the list.

In accordance with the objective of TSKGV/TAFF, it is subsidiaries’ greatest mission of its subsidiaries’ is  to provide the critically important domestic, national and indigenous systems required by the Turkish Armed Forces for the renewal or modernization of their weapons and systems, with advanced technologies. In this regard, a performance-based supervision and guidance process for the subsidiaries is followed by the Foundation according to its strategic plan. The Foundation, on the other hand, also focuses specifically on promotion and PR activities aiming at strengthening the existing bond between the donors (the noble Turkish Nation) that form the basis of its foundation and development and the Turkish Armed Forces. The Voluntary Promotion Committees are among those who perform the most important promotion and public relations activities of the Foundation. They are currently operating in 81 provinces and 860 districts under the voluntary chairmanship of governors in provinces and district governors in districts together with the notables of the region. In addition, the Foundation's other important promotional activities include the preparation of public spots and short introductory films for television and radio channels with the aim of gaining the favor of the great Turkish nation and increasing donations.

The IDEF International Defense Industry Fair, has been held every two years since 1993 under the management and responsibility of TSKGV/TAFF and has become a world brand by receiving the support of the highest level civil and military authorities of the Republic of Turkey since day one, and it is fourth largest defense industry fair in the world in terms of the number of participating companies. IDEF 2021, the 15th International Defense Industry Fair, will be held under the auspices of the Presidency of Republic of Turkey, hosted by the Ministry of National Defense, under the management and responsibility of TSKGV/TAFF, and organized by The TÜYAP Fair Organization Group. It will be held at the TÜYAP Fair and Congress Center in Büyükçekmece/Istanbul on August 16-20, 2021.

TSKGV/TAFF, with the flagship position it holds in the Turkish defense industry with the companies in which it has direct and indirect shares, creates synergy at the national and international level in the overall defense industry with the IDEF Fair. At the IDEF 2021 Fair, more than 1.000 domestic and international companies will exhibit their products and services in an area of 35.000 m2, and they will meet and carry out negotiations with Turkish procurement authorities and delegations from all over the world. Armored combat vehicles, unmanned ground and air vehicles, rockets, guided missiles, infantry weapons, military simulators, explosive ordnance disposal device and many more will be among the products to be exhibited at the fair.

We consider that the industry will be able to breathe easily again at IDEF 2021 Fair, which will be held after a period during which almost all of the defense industry and aviation fairs were canceled or postponed as of March 2020 when the COVID-19 outbreak began.

With the favor of the noble Turkish Nation, we continue our hard work to further increase the contribution of the value created by our Foundation to the national defense industry since its establishment and to make the best use of even a penny donated by our great Nation without wasting it.

While strengthening the existing bond between the Turkish Armed Forces and the Turkish Nation through effective promotional activities, we concentrate more on the supervision and guidance of the companies in which we have shares, and on ensuring collaboration between them. In this way, we increasingly transfer funds to the Defense Industry Support Fund to be used in the projects of the Ministry of National Defense, provide support to several companies for capital increases, contribute to the country's economy as well as increase the added value and exports in the defense industry, and as a consequence of all such activities, we fulfill the purpose of strengthening the Turkish Armed Forces.

As of today, we feel proud about representing a large family of around 150.000 benefactors and 23.000 corporate employees.

We, as the TSKGV/TAFF, would like to thank you for including us in this issue of Defence Turkey magazine