Two 10‑lane shooting systems supplied to the Nigerian Army were among the demonstrable ties between HAVELSAN and Nigeria that the Turkish systems integrator highlighted at AFRIDEX 2026 in Lagos.
HAVELSAN’s showcase at AFRIDEX 2026
HAVELSAN exhibited at Booth 2117 in the Türkiye Pavilion during AFRIDEX 2026, which ran from 26 to 29 October at Eko Atlantic in Lagos. The company used the platform to pitch border surveillance, coastal surveillance, maritime traffic management and city video analytics specifically for Lagos and Abuja. On 28 October, HAVELSAN’s Vice President for International Business Development and Marketing, Şevket Ünal, participated in a panel titled “From Partnership to Production – Advancing Türkiye–Nigeria Defence Industry Cooperation.”
Systems on display: ADVENT, DOOB, MATRA, Digital Troops and simulators
On the show floor HAVELSAN displayed a slate of operational and training systems: the ADVENT combat management system, the DOOB command and control (C2) system, the MATRA coastal surveillance and vessel traffic system, and its Digital Troops concept. The company’s simulation portfolio shown at AFRIDEX covered shooting, sniper, tank, armoured vehicle, parachute and urban operations training, alongside electronic warfare ranges and wargaming tools. Ünal framed MATRA as the coastal surveillance and vessel traffic element of the pitch while noting ADVENT’s presence in Nigerian service.
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See what we buildExisting Nigerian references and how ADVENT and BAHA reached Nigeria
HAVELSAN framed its AFRIDEX pitch as an extension of work already completed in Nigeria. ADVENT entered Nigerian service through a warship project signed by another Turkish company in June 2023, a deal that made Nigeria the seventh export customer for the combat management system. The BAHA unmanned aerial vehicle was also supplied to Nigeria through another Turkish firm’s project. HAVELSAN lists the Nigerian Army among its references, citing in particular the two 10‑lane shooting systems it supplied.
Partnership strategy: local partners, Abuja simulation project, and regional precedents
Ünal told attendees that HAVELSAN is discussing further solutions with Nigeria’s armed forces and has a simulation project under way with a training institution in Abuja, which he said would add a local training program to the company’s existing Nigerian Army work. Ünal noted HAVELSAN’s affiliation with the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation and said the company wants long‑term local partners in Nigeria for its next phase of work. The firm pointed to regional precedents for such collaborations: HAVELSAN signed a memorandum of understanding with Egypt’s Arab Organization for Industrialization to co‑produce autonomous UAVs for the African market and promoted joint defence production and technology transfer at EDEX 2025.
What this means for the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy, and Nigerian training institutions
- Nigerian Army: The army already has HAVELSAN training references — including the two 10‑lane shooting systems — and will see the Abuja simulation project as an extension of those capabilities, with potential for locally hosted training programs tied to HAVELSAN’s simulator suite.
- Nigerian Navy: ADVENT’s presence in Nigerian service via a ship project signed in June 2023 establishes a procurement precedent for combat management integration; the MATRA coastal surveillance and vessel traffic pitch is aimed directly at naval and maritime authorities responsible for coastal security and maritime traffic management.
- Nigerian training institutions: The simulation project under way in Abuja represents an opportunity to build local training capacity using HAVELSAN’s offered suite — from small‑arms live‑fire simulators to parachute, armoured vehicle and electronic warfare ranges — provided long‑term partnerships are agreed.
HAVELSAN’s push at AFRIDEX coincides with a broader pattern of Turkish companies being active in Nigerian procurement plans. The Nigerian Air Force has listed 12 Aksungur drones and six additional T129 ATAK helicopters from Turkish Aerospace among as many as 67 aircraft it expects to receive, alongside Italian, US, European and Chinese types. At the same event where HAVELSAN exhibited, Defence Minister Christopher Musa told attendees that local production of defence equipment will begin within the next year and that foreign firms are invited to invest in Nigerian capacity.
The concrete takeaway from AFRIDEX 2026 is that HAVELSAN is positioning itself to move from supplying systems to embedding production, training and local partnerships in Nigeria — a strategy it has pursued elsewhere in the region — and that the Nigerian government is signaling openness to foreign investment and local production on a compressed timeline. Whether those intentions translate into signed co‑production agreements, expanded fleet support, or new simulation programs in Abuja will be the next set of decisions to watch.
