Vice President, International Business Development and Marketing, HAVELSAN
As one of Türkiye’s leading defence and technology companies, HAVELSAN continues to expand its presence across global markets with cutting-edge solutions in autonomous systems, C4ISR Technologies, and simulation technologies. At EDEX 2025 in Egypt, HAVELSAN is showcasing a wide range of unmanned platforms and digital defence systems, reinforcing its growing role as a key partner for regional defence modernisation. In this interview with Arabian Defence, Şevket ÜNAL, Vice President, International Business Development and Marketing, HAVELSAN, discusses HAVELSAN’s focus on autonomous platforms, naval combat technologies and simulator innovations, strategic collaborations across the Middle East and Africa, and its vision for digital transformation in defence.
What are the major technologies and products that you are showcasing at EDEX in Egypt?
At EDEX, we are showcasing a range of advanced unmanned and autonomous systems, including unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), unmanned surface vessels (USVs), and UAVs. HAVELSAN has been very active in autonomous technologies through our VTOL platform, and these systems will form a key part of our display at the exhibition.
We also have existing collaborations with local Egyptian authorities and institutions, and we plan to make new announcements during EDEX as we expand our partnerships in the region.
In addition to autonomous systems, HAVELSAN is a leading provider of combat management systems for the Turkish Navy and for eight other navies worldwide.
We are also exploring potential cooperation with the Egyptian Navy. For land forces, we provide a wide range of simulation-based training solutions—from small arms and parachute simulators to advanced virtual shooting and live training systems—all of which will be showcased at EDEX. We also work through technology-transfer–focused cooperation across naval, land and air forces, ensuring each service benefits from tailored and interoperable capabilities.
Could you tell us about HAVELSAN’s partnerships across the Middle East including your collaborations in GCC countries?
HAVELSAN maintains an extensive and growing presence across the Middle East, the GCC and the broader African region. Within the Gulf, we are active in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. In several of these countries, we collaborate with local partners. In others, we work directly with end users, including Ministries of Defence and various naval, air and land forces.
Our activities in Africa are also expanding rapidly. We are delivering virtual shooting simulators and samrt and safe city projects and critical facility solutions to multiple African partners. Across the region, one of our major strengths is our ability to transfer our autonomous capabilities to different unmanned platforms. We currently have unmanned systems under local production, including UGVs and VTOL solutions, which can be adapted for various operational requirements.
What are the recent innovations in autonomous platforms and simulator technologies?
HAVELSAN began developing autonomous platforms around six years ago, initially focusing on ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) capabilities. However, as user requirements have evolved, we have expanded into Electronic Warfare Test and Training Range (EWTTR), kamikaze drones, and advanced AI-enabled video analytics.
There’s growing demand for UAVs capable of taking off and landing on moving naval platforms—both for military and coast guard applications.
Artificial intelligence is now at the core of our R&D, enhancing everything from training systems to combat management and autonomous control. Beyond defence, we also provide advanced ERP solutions—next-generation field-scale business management platform covering finance, HR, logistics, and maintenance.
HAVELSAN also promotes open-source and indigenous ICT solutions, including our own secure messaging, video conferencing, and file management systems. We are deeply involved in smart city and safe city applications that use AI-driven video analytics, one of our key areas of expertise.
What are your main civil aviation products?
HAVELSAN develops simulators for both military and civil aviation. We currently provide full-flight simulators (FFS) for narrow-body aircraft, including the Boeing 737 MAX FFS, which is certified to EASA Level D standards. These simulators are used by all major air operators in Türkiye and are also being offered internationally in collaboration with partners.
In addition, we continue to enhance our capabilities with our A320 full-flight simulator program, which is progressing to meet the highest international certification requirements and serves airlines seeking reliable and cost-effective pilot training solutions.
Looking ahead, we are preparing to expand into wide-body aircraft simulators as part of our long-term roadmap, strengthening our position as a global provider of advanced civil aviation training technologies.
What are the recent advancements in HAVELSAN’s naval systems?
Our flagship naval solution is the ADVENT Combat Management System, a fully network-centric warfare-capable platform. The next evolution of ADVENT integrates artificial intelligence to support operations, maintenance, and decision-making functions.
Importantly, we have developed our own large language model (LLM)—an indigenous AI system integrated into ADVENT for maintenance support and operational assistance.
We don’t rely on external or open-source GPT models; our LLM is entirely developed in-house. While current applications focus on predictive maintenance, future iterations will include combat decision-support capabilities. As always, integration will comply with NATO standards. AI will increasingly become a key component in both combat systems and simulator technologies, enhancing pilot training and operational performance through adaptive learning and real-time feedback.
HAVELSAN will also participate in the upcoming DIMDEX exhibition in Doha. What can we expect there?
Yes, we will be participating in DIMDEX in Doha. While our final lineup is still being finalised, we plan to highlight our command, control and defence systems, simulation and training Technologies. We will also focus on digital transformation solutions for defence, including personnel management and logistics information systems. Qatar has been a long-term partner for HAVELSAN, and we continue to pursue several ongoing and upcoming projects in the country.
