Leaders of Defence Met With METU Students
Leading companies in the field of national defence industry met at the event organised by METU Defence Industry Community. The companies stated that important steps have been taken towards independence.
Leading companies in the national defense industry gathered at the “Defense Industry Summit” organized by the METU Defense Industry Club. The 1st METU Defense Industry Summit brought together leading companies yesterday at the Congress and Culture Center Hall A. Representatives from ASELSAN, the Machinery and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE), METEKSAN, MİLDATA, and NERO Industries participated as speakers. The event began with a moment of silence and the singing of the National Anthem. Dr. Selim Gemici, R&D Ammunition Manager of the Machinery and Chemical Industry Corporation, stated, “We are trying to meet the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces under all circumstances. As MKE, we are trying to overcome external dependencies, especially during times when embargoes were applied. Successful work is being done in the country, particularly with light weapons. We are also working to ensure product diversity in heavy weapons. We have efforts to increase exports.”
Gemici continued, “As MKE, we are conducting system integration. We have a specific plan in place, and we collaborate with other entities in this regard. MKE is one of the important organizations in the country. We also have weapon systems that can be integrated into armored vehicles. Not only weapon systems and ammunition but we also produce the raw materials for them. However, after some recent embargoes, we have gained new production capabilities for our country. We do not carry out these productions alone. We collaborate with private defense companies. We currently have about 107 R&D projects, and this number is continuously increasing. We have started R&D projects in the fields of smart weapons systems and smart ammunition.”
‘WE DID NOT DEVIATE FROM THE MAIN TARGET’
NERO Industries Project Department Manager Zekeriya Gürcan stated that they export to 32 countries, saying, “NERO Industries was established in 2009 with a specific goal. This goal was to protect people and the military. We have never deviated from this main objective. In 2009, we signed our first project. In 2011, we started investing in R&D. In 2012, we began collaborating with TÜBİTAK. We are a very young and dynamic team. Currently, NERO ranks 23rd in Türkiye in terms of R&D expenditures and 31st in terms of the highest number of patents in Türkiye.”