Another strategic facility aimed at reducing foreign dependency in Türkiye's defence and aviation industry has become operational. Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, President of the Presidency of Defence Industries, inaugurated the Kale ANDAR factory in Ankara OSTİM. The new facility will produce electromechanical motion control systems. Fin actuators, motor drives, and flight surface actuators will be manufactured in the factory, which has a total closed area of 4,800 square metres. Consequently, the company will successfully indigenise the most critical components of national platforms.
AI-Supported Production and Technical Capacity
Kale ANDAR's new production base draws attention not only for its capacity but also for the modern technology on its production line. The facility employs 130 qualified personnel. Furthermore, the facility offers a data-driven and sustainable ecosystem for the defence industry.
Engineers have integrated AI-supported testing, monitoring, and predictive maintenance applications into production and quality processes. Thanks to these innovative systems, AI algorithms detect potential production errors in advance. Therefore, the company maximises production efficiency and product reliability. Additionally, the "EYDEP B" level competency certificate earned by the facility officially certifies the quality of its production standards.
Why are Electromechanical Systems Important?
A fighter aircraft, missile, or unmanned aerial vehicle requires advanced electromechanical motion control systems to perform desired manoeuvres perfectly in the air. Specifically, flight surface actuators and fin actuators instantly convert commands from the pilot or autonomous system into physical movement. In other words, these systems function as the muscles of the aircraft.
In the past, Türkiye mostly purchased these critical sub-systems from abroad. The design and production of these systems require very significant engineering expertise. This situation carried the risk of halting the production of national platforms in case of potential embargoes. However, thanks to the domestic motor drives and actuators it will produce, Kale ANDAR completely eliminates this hidden embargo risk in aviation projects.
The Strategic Partnership of ANDAR and Kale Group
ANDAR, whose foundations were laid in 2012, has been developing electromechanical systems for manned and unmanned aerial vehicles since its establishment. Through this, the company has accumulated very important know-how in the field. Recently, this engineering competence merged with the power of Kale Group, one of Türkiye's established industrial organisations. Indeed, Kale Group established the Kale ANDAR brand through a strategic investment. With this new factory, the company aims to transform into a global production base.
Direct Contribution to National Platforms
The activation of the Kale ANDAR facility shows that the Turkish defence industry is taking a giant step. The sector is evolving from a structure that merely produces platforms into an ecosystem that also designs the internal hardware that enables those platforms to fly. As officials emphasised at the opening ceremony, this factory provides very strong support for full independence in aviation.
In the coming period, the company will integrate the domestic actuators and motor drives produced in this facility into many strategic projects. All national platforms, primarily the National Combat Aircraft KAAN, HÜRJET, KIZILELMA, and domestic guided munitions, will benefit from this capability. Consequently, Türkiye will rapidly increase its share in the global export market with these high value-added sub-systems.
