ASELSAN Seeks Nigerian Manufacturing Partner, Inspects Shipyard
Turkish defense electronics group ASELSAN is searching for a local manufacturing partner in Nigeria and has already sent a team to inspect a Nigerian shipyard as part of that effort, company President and CEO Ahmet Akyol said at a media roundtable in September, according to a report by Military Africa. The move would deepen a defense-industrial relationship between Ankara and Abuja that has grown steadily since 2022, as Nigeria pushes foreign suppliers toward local production rather than straightforward equipment sales.
What Happened
Speaking to reporters, Akyol described ASELSAN’s relationship with Nigeria as a “close-knitted friendship” built on partnerships already under way, and said the company is actively evaluating Nigerian firms that could host local production or assembly of its systems. As part of that search, an ASELSAN team toured a Nigerian shipyard, and company management separately visited the Nigerian Navy’s headquarters, where the Chief of Naval Staff briefed them on the service’s own shipbuilding record, including three Seaward Defence Boats built in 2012, 2016 and 2021. No manufacturing agreement, joint venture or specific facility has been announced; Akyol’s comments describe an active search rather than a concluded deal, and Military Africa did not report a timeline for a decision.
The Company and Its Systems
ASELSAN is Turkey’s largest defense electronics manufacturer, state-linked and headquartered in Ankara, with a product catalogue of more than 500 systems spanning radar, electro-optics, electronic warfare, communications, precision munitions and air-defense architectures. Among its flagship offerings is Steel Dome, a layered air-defense system that ASELSAN markets as covering threats from roughly 100 meters to beyond 150 kilometers by integrating radars, electro-optical sensors, jammers, directed-energy weapons, guns and missiles into a single command structure. The company has reported strong recent growth: 2025 revenue of $4.5 billion, up from $3.5 billion in 2024, export contracts exceeding $2.5 billion across 97 countries, and an order backlog that reached $23 billion in the first half of 2026 — a figure Akyol has said could approach $30 billion by year-end, according to Turkish financial press. ASELSAN has also pointed to roughly $1.3 billion in 2025 R&D spending and a planned $1.5 billion Oğulbey Technology Base, which it describes as intended to become one of Europe’s largest integrated air-defense production facilities.
Who Uses ASELSAN Systems in Nigeria
Nigeria’s engagement with ASELSAN is confirmed but still limited in scope. The company opened a branch office in Abuja in August 2025 to manage sales, maintenance and training locally. On September 23, 2025, Nigerian Air Force Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar hosted Akyol at NAF headquarters for talks on radar upgrades, air-defense systems and precision-strike capability; Abubakar said the partnership was “about equipping our Air Force with the tools needed to protect our people and strengthen national security,” while Akyol called Nigeria “a strategic partner for Türkiye in Africa,” per Guardian Nigeria’s reporting on the meeting. Separately, ASELSAN already supplies electronics integration and technical expertise to DICON-D7G, a joint venture between Nigeria’s state-run Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) and Turkish firm D7G that assembles infantry combat equipment, small arms and armored vehicles under the framework of Nigeria’s 2023 DICON Act. None of this confirms that any specific ASELSAN system, including Steel Dome, has been ordered or deployed by Nigeria’s armed forces; the public record to date covers cooperation talks, an office opening and a components-level role in an existing joint venture.
Export and Procurement History
Nigeria and Turkey opened formal defense-industrial talks in January 2022, covering potential cooperation on counter-terrorism support, attack helicopters, armed drones and infantry systems. Turkish firms, ASELSAN among them, pitched their equipment to Nigerian military leadership later that year at the fifth Turkey-Nigeria Defence Industry Consultation Meeting in Abuja. That groundwork led to the 2025 Abuja office and the NAF leadership meeting, and by September 2026 Military Africa was reporting ASELSAN’s role inside the DICON-D7G production line. The shipyard visit and manufacturing-partner search reported this month mark the furthest ASELSAN has gone in signaling interest in Nigerian-based production rather than office-based sales and service support.
Global Competitors
ASELSAN’s push comes amid broader competition for Nigeria’s defense-industrial business. China supplies roughly 30% of Africa’s drone inventory by unit count and has placed CH-series and Wing Loong platforms with several African air forces; Turkish Bayraktar TB2s are already the continent’s single most widely distributed drone type, deployed in eleven countries. Nigeria’s own industrial base is also active: domestic firm BabaSky has unveiled an integrated counter-drone system to the Nigerian Army and Air Force, Bell Textron has begun building Nigeria’s first AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters domestically, and DICON itself continues to expand under the 2023 act that underpins the D7G venture. ASELSAN’s pitch to Nigeria rests partly on its NATO-aligned, largely ITAR-free product line, which gives buyers an alternative to American and European suppliers that attach tighter end-use and export restrictions to radar, electronic-warfare and precision-guided systems.
Why It Matters
Nigeria faces an escalating drone threat from Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), which has accelerated the country’s interest in counter-UAS, radar and air-defense capability. A manufacturing tie-up would mark a shift from Turkey selling finished systems to Nigeria toward co-production, echoing the technology-transfer model Ankara has already extended through DICON-D7G and that it uses elsewhere in Africa to build longer-term industrial relationships. For ASELSAN, a shipyard-based or land-systems manufacturing foothold in Nigeria would extend an African expansion strategy the company has pursued alongside its Abuja office and record order backlog.
What Happens Next
ASELSAN has not named a preferred Nigerian partner or shipyard, and no contract value, product scope or timeline has been disclosed. The company’s broader backlog target of roughly $30 billion by the end of 2026 suggests continued deal-making activity, but any Nigerian manufacturing arrangement would need government-to-government or DICON-level sign-off before production could begin.
FAQ
Is ASELSAN building a factory in Nigeria?
Not yet. CEO Ahmet Akyol said the company is searching for a local manufacturing partner and has inspected a Nigerian shipyard, but no partner, facility or agreement has been announced.
What does ASELSAN already do in Nigeria?
It operates an Abuja office opened in 2025, has held senior-level talks with the Nigerian Air Force on radar and air-defense cooperation, and supplies electronics and technical expertise to the DICON-D7G joint venture that assembles infantry equipment and armored vehicles.
What is Steel Dome?
Steel Dome is ASELSAN’s layered air-defense architecture, combining radar, electro-optical sensors, jammers and interceptors to engage targets from short to long range. There is no confirmation it has been offered or sold to Nigeria specifically.
Why is Nigeria attractive to Turkish defense firms?
Nigeria is expanding its domestic defense-industrial base under the 2023 DICON Act while facing sustained ISWAP and Boko Haram threats, creating demand for both equipment and local production capacity that reduces reliance on suppliers with strict export controls.
Who else supplies Nigeria’s military with air-defense and drone technology?
China is Africa’s largest drone supplier by volume, domestic firms such as BabaSky are fielding counter-drone systems, and the United States is producing Nigeria’s first AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters through Bell Textron.
Sources
- Military Africa, “ASELSAN Seeks Local Manufacturing Partner in Nigeria, CEO Says,” October 4, 2026 — primary report on Akyol’s roundtable remarks, shipyard visit and company financial figures. Read source
- The Guardian Nigeria, “NAF, ASELSAN partner to strengthen radar, air defence capabilities” — reporting on the September 23, 2025 meeting between Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar and Ahmet Akyol, with direct quotes. Read source
- Military Africa, “Aselsan opens Nigerian office, expanding African presence,” August 2025 — background on the Abuja office opening. Read source
- Military Africa, “Aselsan announces highest-ever financial record amidst African expansion,” April 2026 — corroborating 2025 revenue and backlog figures. Read source
- Euro-SD, “Aselsan grows by investing in the future,” August 2026 — independent corroboration of backlog growth and R&D/investment figures. Read source
- Military Africa, Africa drone procurement analysis — regional context on Chinese and Turkish drone market share across Africa, cited for the Global Competitors section. Read source
