We are One of The Most Important Players in The Industry

With its armed forces, Türkiye is one of the most active countries in the world, and is continuously engaged in the field in various geographies, in counter-terrorism or off-border operations. This makes it necessary to respond to the needs of our army in the field and to support its fighting methods in a rapid and active manner when called upon to do so. The Turkish defence sector is required to come up with rapid solutions to these demands.

All projects and activities in this regard are carried out by the Defence Industry Agency (SSB) of the Republic of Türkiye, being the governmental body responsible for the Turkish defence sector. The ultimate goal of the defence sector under this umbrella organisation is for our country to become self-sufficient and completely independent in terms of its defence industry needs. The Turkish defence sector has made significant advances, especially in recent years. As STM, under the guidance of the Defence Industry Agency, we are proud to be one of the most important players in this development story. STM has been developing innovative and modern combat platforms for the Turkish armed forces since it was established in 1991. We have taken part in many national projects of the Turkish defence sector and have undertaken critical tasks through which we have gained engineering and technology experience, and have since made significant investments to expand this experience. Today, we are engaged in a wide range of market segments, including naval platforms, cybersecurity, tactical mini-UAV systems, radar systems, satellite technologies, command and control systems, and certification and consultancy services.

The military naval projects in which we have been involved and the tactical mini-UAV systems and cybersecurity solutions we have delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces, which is the second largest army in NATO, have brought us significant engineering experience, and we have shared this experience with friendly and allied nations over the years.

STM provides high-technology engineering solutions related to the design, construction and modernisation of platforms, especially in military naval projects. Our engineering experience and design capability allow us to produce tailor-made solutions to satisfy our customers’ needs. As a main contractor, we control the entire construction and modernisation processes of various platforms, from initial design to delivery.

After taking part in the MİLGEM National Corvette Project, which is a source of pride for our country, we increased our focus on the naval platforms field. Drawing upon the experience we gained in the project, we took on the role of main contractor in the modernisation of the Ay-Class Submarines (Type-209/1200) in the inventory of the Turkish Navy. After successfully completing the modernisation of two submarines, we delivered them in 2015. Subsequently, we were assigned the role of main contractor in the modernisation of the Preveze-Class Submarines (Type 209/1400), and we took on the role of main contractor for TCG İSTANBUL, Türkiye’s first national frigate.

We are also focused on STM500, our small submarine, which was designed by STM engineers using national resources, and started the test production of the pressure hull in recent months. This will mark the first time a private company in Türkiye has manufactured the pressure hull of a military submarine. STM500 is attracting considerable interest in different parts of the world.

We are engaged in collaborations, export and business development activities in more than 20 countries, from South America to the Far East. Under a project including elements of technology transfer, we started the construction of a Corvette for the Ukrainian Navy in 2021, and launched the vessel in Istanbul in October 2022. The project is continuing as scheduled. STM built and delivered PNS MOAWIN, a Naval Fleet Tanker, to the Pakistan Navy, in Karachi, Pakistan in 2018 as part of a project aimed at building a military ship with the largest tonnage abroad.

In addition, we are continuing with the modernisation of Pakistan’s Agosta-90B/Khalid-Class submarines that were built originally by France. Within the project, which we started in 2016, we have already delivered the first submarine, while modernisation works on the two remaining submarines are continuing. This is STM’s first time acting as the main contractor in a submarine modernisation project being conducted in a foreign country.

In the field of Tactical Mini-UAVs, last year we launched exports of Combat Proven Rotary Wing Loitering Munition KARGU. KARGU has been in the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces for 5 years. There is a high demand for KARGU from different geographies and countries, and we have to date exported the platform to nearly 10 countries in various regions, from South America to Asia, while negotiations with 15 other countries are continuing.

We are also carrying out significant projects through STM ThinkTech, Türkiye’s first technology-oriented think tank, and have delivered six batches of decision support systems to NATO. The Aggregated Resilience Model has been developed by using the systems thinking approach and system dynamics method, and aims to support NATO’s decision-making processes in response to strategic shocks such as pandemics, electricity blackout, cyber attacks, and big human movements. We will continue to grow and contribute to the creation of a fully independent defence industry and national technology initiative in Türkiye, and to provide our army and country with national technologies while sharing our capabilities with friendly and allied nations