MILITARY AFRICA Interview with Vice President Şevket Ünal

How have the lessons learned from the first ADVENT deliveries in Africa shaped your approach to maritime command-and-control projects?

The ADVENT delivery in Africa was not only a product integration for us, but also an important phase that enabled us to understand regional operational requirements more closely. Especially in the continent, structures that require different platforms, sensors, and communication infrastructures to work together are quite common. For this reason, when carrying out system integration, we do not adopt a “single solution” approach; instead, we prioritize modular, scalable, and sustainable architectures that make maximum use of the country’s existing resources. This is exactly where HAVELSAN has begun to stand out: creating integrated architectures designed specifically for each country, ensuring that all platforms speak a common data language. The first implementation of ADVENT in Africa reminded us once again that interoperability is no longer a technical preference, but an operational necessity.

This process highlighted three points in our approach to African navies: First, interoperability is no longer a choice but an operational requirement. Second, since infrastructure differences across the continent are quite high, flexibility in architecture is critical. Third, training and sustainability components must be included in the design to ensure continuity of personnel capabilities. The field experience we gained with ADVENT made it necessary for us to adopt a more inclusive and long-term outlook in all naval projects today. At the same time, our experience in the field has provided very important inputs for our subsequent work.

Which roles do you foresee standing out in African militaries’ transition to a manned–unmanned hybrid force structure?

When we examine the priorities of African countries, we see that three roles quickly come to the forefront in the transition to unmanned systems: surveillance, coastal–maritime awareness, and risk reduction in challenging areas. Unmanned aerial and surface platforms produce faster results in these fields and reduce security costs, especially across large geographies. The fact that HAVELSAN offers high-technology integrated products and solutions is also what brings us one step ahead.
From our perspective, the important point is not only the capability offered by the unmanned platform alone; it is the outcomes created when it is correctly integrated into the command-and-control architecture. HAVELSAN’s work in unmanned systems gains meaning exactly at this point. The transfer of data collected during ISR missions directly into the C4ISR architecture shortens the decision-making time of the command center. Similarly, enabling unmanned elements to operate together with manned platforms in coastal security or fleet protection missions allows force structures to become more flexible and resilient, through architectures specifically designed for this purpose.

How do you approach technology transfer, local production, and sustainable maintenance models in Africa?

Demonstrating long-term and effective presence on the continent is not possible by simply delivering systems. For this reason, HAVELSAN’s approach is to consider from the very beginning models that will develop countries’ own labor skills and infrastructure capacity. We offer solutions tailored to needs at every point from establishing maintenance plans to joint training programs.
While HAVELSAN establishes systems that enable countries to achieve rapid operational readiness in the short term, our long-term focus is on building a structure that allows them to become self-sufficient. This approach aligns with the frequently expressed “sustainability” and “operational capacity” goals in Africa. At the same time, different dynamics can be on the table for cooperation models as well.

How can AI, autonomy, and multi-domain integration be made attainable for small and medium-sized African navies?

These fields are often seen as technologies suitable for large navies or high-cost programs. However, we make these capabilities more accessible. For example, AI-supported assessments help detect threats earlier and ensure that decision-making processes are based on stronger data. In addition, HAVELSAN’s work in this field is not limited to software components; we continue developing AI supported modules across a wide spectrum from training simulations to coastal surveillance solutions. This allows countries to integrate the capabilities they need gradually and in line with their budgets as natural components of their systems.

How does the multinational nature of maritime security in West Africa affect your approach to interoperability?

The presence of different threats in the Gulf of Guinea makes information sharing and joint operational capability between countries mandatory. This is where our architectural approach comes into play.

Even if the platforms differ, it is possible to create a common operational picture. Flexible integration is essential for coast guard command centers, regional Maritime Domain Awareness centers, and naval units to unite under a single framework. HAVELSAN’s C4ISR architecture provides an important structure at this point. It not only facilitates data sharing, but also is designed to allow countries to participate in joint operations while preserving their own security protocols and national jurisdictions.

Why has training and simulation become such a strategic component in the African market?

African countries want to put new systems into operation quickly; however, ensuring that personnel can use these systems effectively can sometimes be more critical than hardware procurement itself. Our training approach begins not with the “delivery of the system,” but with strengthening the country’s own training infrastructure.

The strongest aspect of this approach is that it allows countries to train their own experts and manage maintenance and operational processes independently. Particularly in maritime security, coastal surveillance, command-and-control, and unmanned platforms, training becomes the key determining factor.

Why does the “African Maritime Security Architecture” concept have a special place for HAVELSAN?

This concept is in harmony with the African Union’s framework for maritime security modernization and allows regional needs to be addressed holistically. For example, systems such as the ADVENT Combat Management System, MATRA coastal surveillance system and vessel traffic management system naturally fit into different layers of this approach.

For us, this concept a strategic vision that addresses Africa’s multi-layered maritime security needs within the framework of integration, digitalization, and sustainability. Solutions such as ADVENT, BlueVision, MATRA and SANCAR naturally fit into different layers of this structure. We analyze countries’ existing structures and create architectures specific to them, and where needed, we integrate existing systems into modern structures. Providing a holistic maritime security architecture instead of standalone systems has become HAVELSAN’s strongest approach in Africa.