Turkish defense giant eyes Southeast Asian market

BANGKOK - Anadolu Agency

Aselsan has its eye on the Southeast Asian market, according to the Turkish defense giant’s Deputy General Manager Mustafa Kaval.

Kaval, who was in Thailand to attend a defense and security exhibition, told Anadolu Agency on Nov. 9 that several Turkish defense industry firms were participating in the event, given the fact that the region offers huge potential.

“Thailand is a big country and has needs similar to Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. When we look at defense expenditures, it is predicted that most of the increase will be from this region,” he said.

“So, we are trying to sell our products with some collaborations. Recently, we founded the Aselsan Malaysia company,” Kaval also said, adding that there was similarly a huge potential in Indonesia.

However, Aselsan has yet to engage in large-scale business in the country. Kaval said almost all countries want local production and cooperation.

“Aselsan is open to such cooperation, as we have done in Kazakhstan, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. We have experience in this area. We are making efforts to proceed under the same model in this region he said.

Regarding the need for communication systems in Thailand, Kaval said Aselsan was one of the most important companies in the sector.

“In this region, we have a few opponents and we compete against them. There is an intensive attention to communication systems here. Our aim is to make contracts and export our products,” he said.

Founded in 1975 in the capital Ankara, Aselsan, which produces military radios and defense electronic systems for the Turkish Armed Forces, is seen as Turkey’s premier defense systems producer.