DEFENSE NEWS - Signature of 14 new R&D projects

On January 17, 2024, in the presence of the President of the Defense Industry, Professor-Doctor Haluk GÖRGÜN, a ceremony was held to sign 14 new research and development projects aimed at meeting the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces.

These projects will establish mechanisms for industrialization and commercialization of advanced technological knowledge acquired within universities and research centers in Türkiye. They align with the political goal of building a defense industry in line with Türkiye's "vision of becoming a global power," aiming to minimize dependence on external sources. They aspire to unite all sectors—public, private, and educational—under a participatory model around this vision.

These 14 new projects involve 13 main contractors and subcontractors, which are:

• Project AMETİST: Development of a Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process for metal matrix composites [Metal Matris Kompozit Malzemeler için Lazer Metal Toz Ergitme Prosesinin Geliştirilmesi (AMETİST) Projesi]

• Project ÖTEKTİK: Development of high-temperature oxide eutectic ceramic matrix composites [Yüksek Sıcaklık Ötektik Oksit Seramik Matris Kompozitlerin Geliştirilmesi (ÖTEKTİK) Projesi]

• Project SİCİM (Phase 1): Development of silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic matrix composites and silicon carbide fiber [SiC Elyaf ve SiC Matrisli Kompozit Geliştirilmesi Faz-1 (SİCİM) Projesi]

• Project NOVA: Development of pyrotechnics using nanomaterials [Nanomalzemeli Pirotekniklerin Geliştirilmesi (NOVA) Projesi]

• Project LAV: Development of insensitive castable explosive compositions [Eritilerek Dökülebilir Duyarsız Patlayıcı Geliştirilmesi (LAV) Projesi]

• Project KARBOSEN: Development of binder-catalyst components for composite solid fuels [Kompozit Katı Yakıtlar İçin Bağlayıcı-Katalizör Bileşeni Geliştirilmesi (KARBOSEN) Projesi]

• Project DRO: Development of low phase noise dielectric resonator oscillators [Düşük Faz Gürültülü Dielektrik Rezonatör Osilatör Geliştirme (DRO) Projesi]

• Project KRİSTAL OSİLATÖR: Development of low phase noise crystal oscillators [Düşük Faz Gürültülü Kristal Osilatör Geliştirme (KRİSTAL OSİLATÖR) Projesi]

• Project SAS: Acquisition of underwater synthetic aperture imaging capability [Su Altı Sentetik Açıklıklı Görüntüleme Yeteneği Kazandırılması (SAS) Projesi]

• Project YIG: Development of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) filters [YIG (Yttrium Iron Garnet) Filtre Geliştirme Projesi]

• Project SÜMER: Development of centralized swarm drones [Merkezi Sürü İHA Geliştirilmesi (SÜMER) Projesi]

• Project GENIUS 2.0: Measurement and evaluation of cognitive workload factors using artificial intelligence [Bilişsel İş Yükünü Etkileyen Faktörlerin Ölçümü ve Yapay Zekâ ile Değerlendirilmesi (GENIUS 2.0) Projesi]

• Project ALP-EREN: Development of field-programmable integrated circuits [Alanda Programlanabilir Entegre Devre Geliştirme (ALP-EREN) Projesi]

• Project CİNGÖZ: Development of methods for detecting fake images [Sahte Görüntü Tespit Yöntemleri Geliştirme (CİNGÖZ) Projesi]

These projects come amidst a significant increase in the budget of the Ministry of National Defense, which rose from 182,770,968,000 Turkish Liras in 2023 to 440,496,960,000 Turkish Liras in 2024, an increase of 141%. Converted to euros, this increase represents a significant 47.6% rise (from 9.13 billion euros in 2023 to 13.48 billion euros in 2024). Additionally, this voted budget includes extrabudgetary resources such as the Defense Industry Development Fund, held at the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye, with resources governed by legal provisions.

Türkiye's defense industry is open to international cooperation, and many allied countries, primarily European, already benefit from this increased budget by involving their national companies in Turkish defense programs under a "win-win" format. France undoubtedly plays a role in this process.

Article written by Patrice MOYEUVRE, General Officer in 2s of the French Air and Space Force, researcher at IRIS and Director of defense and security projects within Advantis.