HAVELSAN, the Ankara, Türkiye-headquartered flight simulator manufacturer, has broken ground on a new flight simulator production and integration facility to significantly expand its manufacturing capacity for both civil and military simulators.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the 17,000m² facility was chaired by the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. It was attended by HAVELSAN Chairman Prof. Dr Hacı Ali Mantar and CEO Dr Mehmet Akif Nacar, alongside senior government officials and industry representatives.
Once completed, the new Simulator Production and Integration Facility will enable HAVELSAN to produce more than 30 flight simulators each year while supporting the simultaneous development of up to 16 simulators at various 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 is expected to position HAVELSAN as the largest full flight simulator production centre in Europe and the Middle East, further strengthening 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 provides high-fidelity visual representation designed to enhance pilot immersion and procedural accuracy in advanced training environments. The system marks a significant step towards greater technological independence in simulator subsystems and supports HAVELSAN’s strategy to develop 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 highly skilled engineering and technical jobs in the Ankara region, further strengthening Türkiye’s aviation and defence technology ecosystem.
