ASFAT (Military Factory and Shipyard Management Inc.) marked its strong presence at IDEF 2025, showcasing advanced naval and land systems while announcing several strategic agreements. ASFAT General Manager Mustafa İlbaş emphasized that this year’s fair drew remarkable international participation, underscoring Türkiye’s rapidly advancing defense industry. Despite being only seven years old, ASFAT has leveraged the century-long heritage of military factories and shipyards to become one of the world’s top 100 defense companies, currently ranked 94th.

At the core of ASFAT’s naval program are the new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV). Having completed OPV-1 and OPV-2 under its prime contracting role and overseeing OPV-3 to OPV-6 in private shipyards, ASFAT has now signed contracts for OPV-7, 8, 9, and 10. İlbaş also announced the signing of TF-2000 Air Defense Destroyer Project Phase-2, calling it Türkiye’s future “flagship-class” vessel. ASFAT continues to play a major role in national maritime programs, including the MİLDEN (National Submarine Project).

On the land systems side, ASFAT introduced its ARPAN 8x8 Tactical Wheeled Vehicle, capable of launching 155mm howitzer munitions. The system integrates an ASELSAN fire control system, BMC chassis platform, and MKE-manufactured cannon, assembled at ASFAT’s military facilities — symbolizing a strong inter-company synergy within the Turkish defense ecosystem. İlbaş also highlighted upcoming projects, including Minigun integration for unmanned ground vehicles and new aerospace training collaborations with the Turkish Air Force and international partners.

Throughout IDEF 2025, ASFAT signed 38 agreements, ranging from sales and procurement contracts to academic and R&D cooperation protocols with universities and private defense companies. The company’s combined activities reflect Türkiye’s growing autonomy in defense production and its increasing export potential in naval, land, and air domains.

Concluding his remarks, İlbaş stated, “We are proud to witness Istanbul becoming one of the world’s new defense hubs,” signaling ASFAT’s ambition to position Türkiye as a leading global defense production center.