Turkey’s defense industry has entered a new phase in which it not only delivers platforms but also exports comprehensive operational concepts to friendly and allied nations. For years, Turkish companies supplied subsystems and components to Europe and other regions. Later, complete platform exports such as UAVs, armored vehicles and naval vessels became widespread. Today, however, Turkey has taken a significant step beyond platform sales by offering integrated capability packages that allow these systems to operate seamlessly together.

A prime example of this shift is Romania’s procurement of the HİSAR-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV). The project is not simply a warship sale; it includes the integration of Turkish-made Bayraktar TB-2 UAVs into naval operations. Romania, already operating 18 TB-2 drones, aims to use them for maritime surveillance missions and even control them directly from the HİSAR vessel. This level of interoperability elevates the platform to a corvette-like operational capability and transforms it into a command node for unmanned systems.

The backbone of this integration is HAVELSAN’s ADVENT Combat Management System, which already enables the Turkish Navy to conduct coordinated missions involving manned and unmanned platforms. By adopting the same architecture, Romania will gain access to a proven operational concept—one that has been successfully implemented by Turkey in real-world missions. This represents a major milestone: the export of a national operational doctrine alongside advanced platforms.

Defense analysts highlight that Turkey’s pioneering role in joint manned–unmanned naval operations has attracted growing interest from partner countries. Poland’s deployment of its TB-2s to Incirlik Air Base under a NATO mission is cited as another example of nations benefiting from Turkey’s operational expertise. As global demand increases for integrated land–air–sea defense solutions, more countries are expected to turn to Ankara for such multi-domain capabilities.

Romania’s adoption of this concept could therefore be the beginning of a broader trend, strengthening Turkey’s position as a leading provider of not only defense technology but also modern operational frameworks.