ASELSAN A.Ş.
ASELSAN A.Ş., (Turkish: 'ASELSAN', acronym: Askeri Elektronik Sanayi, Military
Electronic Industries) is a Turkishcorporation that produces tactical
military radios and defense electronic systems for
the Turkish Armed Forces.
History[edit]
Aselsan was
founded by the Turkish Army Foundation at the end of
1975[3]
The first CEO
of ASELSAN was M. Hacim Kamoy.[3]
In early 1979
following an investment (for example: kartlı geçiş
sistemleri)[4] and
infrastructure establishment period, ASELSAN started its
production, at Macunköy facilities in Ankara.[3] Since
then, ASELSAN has expanded its product and customer portfolio,
mostly based on indigenous research and development, locally
trained personnel, and in cooperation with other Turkish research
instituitions and universities.
Organization[edit]
ASELSAN is a
leading electronics and electronic systems company in Turkey that
designs, develops and manufactures modern electronic systems for
military and industrial customers, in Turkey and abroad. The
company headquarters is situated at Macunköy facilities in Ankara,
Turkey. According to the field of activities, ASELSAN has been
organized in five business sectors:[5]
- Communication and Information
Technologies Business Sector (HBT),
- Microelectronics, Guidance and
Electro-Optics Business Sector (MGEO),
- Radar and Electronic Warfare
Systems Business Sector (REHIS),
- Defense Systems Technologies
Business Sector (SST),
- Transportation, Security, Energy
and Automation Systems Business Sector (UGES).
The
Communication and Information Technologies Business Sector (HBT),
Radar and Electronic Warfare Systems Business Sector (REHIS),
Defense Systems Technologies Business Sector (SST) and
Transportation, Security, Energy and Automation Systems Business
Sector (UGES) have high-technology and automated infrastructure in
engineering and production at Macunköy facilities. Electronic
production includes surface mount technology, multilayer and
flexible printed circuit boards,
mechanical and mould productions, system integration and test
fields. While Communication and Information Technologies Business
Sector's main product spectrum covers military and professional
communications systems, Radar and Electronic Warfare Systems
Business Sector's main operations are focused on radar,electronic warfare and Defense
Systems Technologies Business Sector's main operations are focused
on command-control systems, making these business sectors evolving
technology centers in their fields. Equipped with high technology
engineering, automatic production and test equipment,
Microelectronics, Guidance and Electro-Optics Business Sector
manufactures hybrid microelectronic circuits, night vision
devices, thermal cameras, laser
ranger/designators and inertial navigation
systems at Akyurt facilities.
In all business
sectors, methodologies complying with military standards
and ISO-9001 are successfully applied
using computer aided
design (CAD), computer aided
engineering (CAE) and computer aided
manufacturing (CAM) technologies.
Also a member
of TÜMAKÜDER[6] and
IPC. [7]
Facilities[edit]
- Radar and
Electronic Warfare Technology Center
ASELSAN opened
its new facility (Turkish: ASELSAN Radar
ve Elektronik Harp Teknoloji Merkezi) in Gölbaşı district of
Ankara on March 16, 2015.[8] Built
in three years to a cost of US$157 million, the site serves for the
production of radar and electronic warfare equipment
required by the Turkish Armed
Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force), space and unmanned
platforms. The facility covers an area of 75,000 m2 (810,000 sq ft)
on a land of 35 ha (86 acres). A total of 776 engineers, 261
technical personnel and more than 200 support personnel are
employed in the center.[9]
The technology
center serves for the design, research and development, production,
test and logistic support of mainly long-range tracking air defense
radars and fighter aircraft radars but also of diverse radars and
electronic warfare systems as well as antennas, microwave power modules and
software.[9]
Capabilities[edit]
- Military Communication
Systems: ASELSAN successfully offers products,
systems and solutions with high-added value
- Public Safety
Communication Systems: ASELSAN's solutions in this
area satisfy the digital radio communication needs of different
user groups
- Satellite, Avionic and
Naval Communications Systems: ASELSAN develops and
offers satellite communication systems to enable secure and
uninterrupted communication between command control centers and the
units on the tactical field
- Encryption and
Information Security Systems: ASELSAN carries out
project design and development
- Electro-Optic
Systems: Wide spectrum with superior capability
- Navigation and Avionic
Systems: The most critical avionic devices in
military aircraft
- Naval
Systems: ASELSAN is involved in various projects
including the design, development and integration of naval systems,
particularly combat systems of underwater and surface
platforms
- Air and Missile Defense
Systems: ASELSAN provides system level solutions
using national resources at maximum extend
- Command, Control,
Communications, Computer and Intelligence Systems: A
wide range of products in the fields of Surveillance, Intelligence,
Fire Support etc.
- Unmanned
Systems: ASELSAN designs and manufactures Unmanned
Systems, which will be used extensively in the battlefield of the
future
- Security
Systems: ASELSAN is involved in the development and
production of Border Security, Coast Guard, Critical
Insfractructure, Facilities Security and City and Community
Security Systems
- Weapon
Systems: With its unique approach design and
integration, ASELSAN develops and manufactures weapon systems that
can be used on various land and sea platforms
- Radar
Systems: ASELSAN presses ahead vigorously in its
activities
- Electronic Warfare
Systems: Offers users unique and integrated solutions
by making sure that these systems work in coordination with other
systems on the platform
- Transportation
Systems: ASELSAN designs, develops and builds
innovative custom solutions, subsystems & critical components
for mobility of platforms on railways, roads and public
networks.
- Trafffic and Automation
Systems: Traffic and Automation Systems business
line, comprises design, development and deployement of Electronic
Toll Collection Systems, Advanced Traffic Management Systems and
Automation Systems.[10]
Suicides and unexpected
deaths[edit]
Between 2006
and 2009, four suspicious deaths occurred, of young engineers who
were working at Aselsan on highly strategic encryption and
decryption projects. The cases were initially declared as suicides.
Three of the four cases were relaunched in 2011 to investigate a
possible link to the Ergenekon trials.[11][12]
On August 7,
2006, Hüseyin Başbilen, a 31-year-old mechanical engineer
working for ten years at Aselsan as a production engineer, was
found dead in his car atPursaklar, Ankara.[11] His
left wrist and throat were cut, his head was under the glove
compartment on the passenger's side and his feet were up on the
driver's seat.[13]In
2009, a court ruled that it was suicide. In 2011, the case was
reopened as part of the "Ergenekon" investigation.
On January 16,
2007, 30-year-old Halim Ünsem Ünal was found dead, shot by a
handgun, in his car at Gölbaşı, Ankara.
The METU-graduate
electrical engineer was working for three years for
ASELSAN.[13]
On January 26,
2007, another electrical engineer, Evrim Yançeken, age 26, fell
from the balcony of his sixth-floor apartment at Batıkent, Ankara. In a
note he left behind, he claimed the responsibility for his
death.[13]
The cases were
closed as suicides with little or no investigation.[14][15]
On October 7,
2007, Burhaneddin Volkan was found shot to death by gun in the
sentry officer's room of the Military Band School, where he was
serving. He worked two years at Aselsan's aviation command and
control center as a software engineer after his graduation from the
Computer Engineering Department of Hacettepe Universityin 2005. After
his three colleagues committed suicide, he had experienced
psychological problems and returned to his family.[13]
On January 25,
2012, Hakan Öksüz died in a car accident, crashing into the traffic
barrier at a major junction on the south beltway of Ankara. He was
employed as an engineer at Aselsan's facility in Akturt, Ankara.[13]
On January 15,
2015, 28-year-old Erdem Uğur was found dead poisoned
by LPG in his home
at Çankaya, Ankara. Lying in bed, a hose
was leading inside his mouth from a gas cylinder he had ordered two
days before. A note with "Caution! Gas" was attached to the
entrance of the apartment. He was a graduate of Dokuz Eylül
University in İzmir and was working as
an magnetic field expert for Aselsan
since February 14, 2014.[16][17]
International
expansion[edit]
Aselsan
announced in October 2015 that they are planning to expand their
South African Business "by seeking partnerships to form a private
company out of its local branch Aselsan South Africa"[18]
