HAVELSAN Breaks Ground on New Flight Simulator Production Center to Strengthen Europe and Middle East Manufacturing Capacity
Ankara, Türkiye-headquartered flight simulator manufacturer HAVELSAN has broken ground on a new flight simulator production and integration facility that will significantly expand its manufacturing capacity for civil and military simulators.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new 17,000-square-meter facility was chaired by the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and attended by HAVELSAN Chairman Prof. Dr. Hacı Ali Mantar and CEO Dr. Mehmet Akif Nacar, along with senior government officials and industry representatives.
Once completed, the new Simulator Production and Integration Facility will allow HAVELSAN to produce more than 30 flight simulators annually while enabling the simultaneous development of up to 16 simulators at different stages of production and integration. Combined with HAVELSAN’s existing infrastructure in Ankara, the company’s total capacity will reach up to 40 commercial and military simulators under development and operation at any given time.
The expansion will position HAVELSAN as the largest full flight simulator production center in Europe and the Middle East, reinforcing Türkiye’s growing role in the global flight simulation and aviation training industry.
The new facility will also support HAVELSAN’s next generation simulator technologies, including the recently introduced STARVIEW-B collimated display system. Developed in-house by HAVELSAN’s Display Systems team, STARVIEW-B delivers high-fidelity visual representation designed to enhance pilot immersion and procedural accuracy in advanced training environments. The system represents a significant step toward greater technological independence in simulator subsystems and supports HAVELSAN’s strategy of developing globally competitive full flight simulators through its STARLINE FSTD product portfolio.
The facility is scheduled to enter service in 2027 and is expected to create hundreds of high-skilled engineering and technical jobs in the Ankara region, further strengthening Türkiye’s aviation and defense technology ecosystem.
In recent years, HAVELSAN has significantly expanded its simulator production activities, supporting the domestic commercial aviation sector with customers including Turkish Airlines, SunExpress, and IFTC.
The company is also contributing to national aerospace initiatives such as the HÜRJET, HÜRKUŞ, KAAN and GÖKBEY programs. With more than 40 years of experience in manufacturing and delivering flight simulators across multiple platforms, HAVELSAN will have delivered over 400 simulators for more than 60 military and civil platforms to national and international users upon completion of its current backlog.