Aselsan
Türkiye's largest defense-electronics prime — radar, EW, EO/IR, comms and HİSAR/SİPER air defense. A state-linked, Borsa İstanbul-listed incumbent (74.2% Turkish Armed Forces Foundation), not a startup.
Background
Aselsan was founded in 1975 by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation, spun up after the 1974 U.S. arms embargo (imposed over Cyprus) exposed Türkiye's dependence on imported military communications gear. From radios built at its Ankara Macunköy plant, it grew into the country's dominant defense-electronics house, spanning radar, electronic warfare, electro-optics/EO-IR, tactical communications and C4ISR.
It is the prime integrator behind Türkiye's indigenous air defenses — the SİPER long-range system (co-developed with Roketsan and TÜBİTAK SAGE) plus the HİSAR-A+/O+ tiers — and the electronics backbone of the national 'Steel Dome' (ÇELİKKUBBE) network activated in August 2025. Headquartered in Ankara with subsidiaries across Anatolia and abroad, it employs roughly 13,500-14,000 people. Ahmet Akyol is CEO. In 2025, its 50th year, it laid the foundations for a ~$1.5B Oğulbey Technology Base and ranked 42nd on the Defense News Top 100, targeting the top 30 by 2030. It is an established prime, not a startup.