Turkey's defense technology company, Aselsan, secures a monumental $1.3 billion in export contracts within the initial six months of the year.
Turkish defense giant Aselsan has achieved remarkable success in the first half of 2025, recording its highest-ever export contracts for a six-month period. The company secured exports worth $1.3 billion, representing about 45% of its total new contracts worth $2.8 billion, which is a 10% increase year-on-year.
The growth in revenue and contracts for Aselsan is attributed to deliveries in various defense sectors such as air defense, electro-optics, radar, avionics, electronic warfare, security, and weapon systems. These deliveries have strengthened the company’s position in global markets, underpinning its export-oriented growth strategy.
Aselsan's backlog orders expanded by 30% in the first half of 2025, leveling up to $16 billion. This robust pipeline supports sustained export levels and future growth.
Financially, Aselsan reported total revenue of around $1.32 billion in the first half of 2025, an 11.3% real-term increase from the previous year. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) also rose by 15% to approximately $320–332 million, with a strong EBITDA margin of 25%, reflecting operational efficiency alongside export growth.
Key factors contributing to this growth include increased R&D investment, infrastructure investment, a strong product portfolio, and a solid order backlog. Aselsan boosted its research and development expenditure by 42% to $572 million in H1 2025, reflecting a strong focus on innovation and technology advancement, which underpins competitive exports. The company doubled its infrastructure investments to $104 million, supporting its production and operational capacity expansion.
Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol stated that the firm had gained strong financial momentum with the Aselsan NEXT program launched in 2024. He announced that Aselsan will continue to progress with the same determination in the second half of the year, maintaining R&D and investments, particularly increasing serial production capacity in critical areas such as air defense, radar, smart ammunition, guidance systems, and electro-optics.
The Book-to-Bill ratio for Aselsan in the first half of 2025 was recorded at two, positioning the company above the industry average. This ratio indicates a healthy demand for Aselsan's products, reinforcing its position as a leading player in the global defense industry.
Aselsan is continuing its export-oriented growth strategy with "determination," as Akyol noted, focusing on high-tech products and rapid product launches, efficiency improvements, and localization efforts. These factors have been instrumental in Aselsan's success in the first half of 2025 and will undoubtedly continue to drive its growth in the future.
[1] Aselsan's H1 2025 Results [2] Aselsan Signs $1.3 Billion in Export Contracts [3] Aselsan's R&D Expenditure Surges in H1 2025 [4] Aselsan's Infrastructure Investment Doubles in H1 2025 [5] Aselsan's Backlog Orders Reach $16 Billion in H1 2025
- The growth in Aselsan's financial performance has attracted attention from financiers and investors, giving it a significant edge in the global business sector.
- Aselsan's success in securing export contracts and expanding its product portfolio has solidified its position as a key player in the international defense industry, contributing to the overall growth of the finance and business arena.
