Türkiye’s Aselsan Joins NATO’s New Modular Air Defense Program

In a significant move for both Türkiye and NATO, Turkish defense company Aselsan has officially joined NATO’s Modular Ground-Based Air Defense (GBAD) Program for the first time. This was announced on May 27, 2025, when NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) selected Aselsan alongside four leading international defense companies to help shape the future of modular air defense systems for the alliance.

This is an important development, as air and missile threats around the world are becoming more advanced and unpredictable. To address these challenges, NATO is working on a new kind of air defense system that’s flexible, scalable, and able to respond quickly to various airborne threats, from drones to cruise missiles. Türkiye’s participation marks a major step forward in integrating its growing defense industry into NATO’s collective defense network.

What Is NATO’s Modular GBAD Program?

The Modular Ground-Based Air Defense (GBAD) initiative is a modern concept aimed at replacing older, rigid air defense systems with open, modular, and interoperable architectures. These new systems will be able to cover multiple layers of air and missile defense, ranging from very short-range systems to medium-range solutions.

Instead of depending on a single type of air defense weapon, the new GBAD concept envisions a network where various sensors, command centers, and weapon systems from different countries can work together seamlessly. This ensures faster, smarter, and more effective responses to modern air threats such as:

• Drone swarms

• Loitering munitions

• Ballistic and cruise missiles

• Unmanned aircraft

Aselsan’s Role and Capabilities

Aselsan is Türkiye’s leading defense technology company with strong experience in air defense systems. Its selection for NATO’s Modular GBAD program is based on its proven expertise in layered, modular air defense solutions.

Among its key systems are:

• Hisar-A+ (short-range air defense)

• Hisar-O+ (medium-range air defense)

• Korkut (self-propelled air defense gun system)

• Hakim 100 (air command and control system)

These systems already protect Türkiye’s airspace and are deployed across sensitive military zones. They integrate with powerful radar systems like Kalkan and Akrep, providing real-time detection and interception of multiple air threats.

One of Aselsan’s standout achievements is its Steel Dome architecture, a system that combines data from various radars and sensors, assesses incoming threats, and coordinates a quick, layered response. This type of technology fits perfectly with NATO’s new modular GBAD plans.

Why This Matters for NATO and Türkiye

For NATO, bringing Aselsan into this project offers access to modern, software-defined, modular systems that can easily connect with existing NATO command networks. Aselsan’s open-architecture designs allow for better adaptability and easier upgrades compared to older, fixed systems.

For Türkiye, this is a strategic win. It shows growing trust in Türkiye’s defense industry within NATO and gives the country a greater role in European and Middle Eastern security affairs. It also opens doors for Türkiye to expand its defense exports and partnerships with other allied nations.

Project Status and What’s Next

Right now, the program is in its first conceptual phase, where NATO and its partners — including Aselsan — are working together to define the system’s architecture. Future phases will focus on:

• Defining modular components

• Integrating new technologies

• Testing interoperability between different systems

Evaluations for the next stages are expected in September 2025. If successful, Aselsan could become a major contributor to NATO’s future air defense shield.

Meanwhile, Aselsan continues to modernize Türkiye’s own defense systems. In 2024, the Turkish Armed Forces ordered $300 million worth of Hisar-O+ systems to strengthen the nation’s air defense network.