During a conversation with Naval News at the 2026 Defence Services Asia exhibition, HAVELSAN Vice President Şevket Ünal outlined the company’s strategic focus on the Malaysian defense market and its broader Southeast Asian ambitions.
Albert Lee story, additional reporting by Tayfun Ozberk
During the presentation of HAVELSAN’s exhibit, Ünal emphasized that the company’s primary focus at the event was on its ADVENT Combat Management System (CMS) for naval platforms, its Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4ISR) solutions, and its portfolio of land-based autonomous systems.
Ünal highlighted the integration of the ADVENT CMS into the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) Batch 2 program, currently under construction by STM. He noted that HAVELSAN is actively promoting ADVENT not only for new naval platforms across the Royal Malaysian Navy, the Malaysian Coast Guard, and other government agencies, but also for the modernization of existing vessels. He underscored that this flexibility is enabled by ADVENT’s modular and scalable architecture, as well as its interoperability with NATO-standard systems. Additionally, he pointed out that ADVENT has already been successfully adapted for use on unmanned surface vehicles.
Regarding unmanned systems, Ünal stated that operators from the Malaysian Coast Guard are expected to begin training on HAVELSAN’s Bozbey vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles in the near future. The Coast Guard has procured two Bozbey systems as part of its Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS) program. However, Ünal noted that HAVELSAN has not yet received confirmation on the final selection of the mission systems supplier for the MPMS, and the company continues to actively promote its solutions for this program.
In support of the Bozbey UAV program, HAVELSAN plans to expand its operational footprint in Malaysia. Ünal explained that the company intends to establish local facilities for maintenance, logistical support, and operator training. Over the longer term, these Malaysian facilities are expected to serve as a regional hub for HAVELSAN’s marketing and support activities, as the company pursues further opportunities in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.
Beyond its core offerings, Ünal also highlighted HAVELSAN’s advanced training and simulation capabilities. Building on its existing provision of vehicle simulators for the Malaysian Army’s AV8 Gempita armored vehicles and upcoming ADVENT training systems, the company is now expanding into strategic-level simulation solutions. These systems are designed to support high-level wargaming and decision-making processes at defence colleges and among senior military leadership.
HAVELSAN Systems Planned for Malaysian Service
HAVELSAN is supplying the combat management system for three corvettes under the Royal Malaysian Navy’s LMS Batch 2 program. These vessels are based on the ADA-class corvette design currently in service with the Turkish and Pakistani navies. Construction of the first corvette commenced in December 2025, with all three ships scheduled for delivery by the end of 2027.
In addition, HAVELSAN is providing two Bozbey VTOL unmanned aerial vehicles to the Malaysian Coast Guard as part of the Multi-Purpose Mission Ship currently under construction at Desan Shipyard.
MIVSB–HAVELSAN Partnership on Foundational AI
During DSA 2026, HAVELSAN and MIMOS International Venture Sdn Bhd (MIVSB) announced a teaming agreement to jointly develop a localized foundational artificial intelligence ecosystem in Malaysia. The collaboration brings together MIMOS’ national role in deep-tech innovation and commercialization with HAVELSAN’s experience in software-intensive defense systems and operational architectures, with the aim of building an integrated framework spanning infrastructure, technology development, and market applications.
The initiative is aligned with Malaysia’s broader digital transformation agenda and its ambition to become a regional leader in advanced technologies. Both parties aim to develop scalable, resilient, and interoperable AI-driven capabilities tailored to real-world operational requirements across sectors including defense, security, telecommunications, and smart infrastructure, while also strengthening HAVELSAN’s long-term presence in the Asia-Pacific through locally anchored partnerships.