Exelis will sign a memorandum of understanding with TÜBİTAK SAGE, the Defense Industries Research and Development Institute of Turkey, to collaborate on developing and integrating advanced smart carriage and release technology for international military aircraft.

The signing will take place at the 2015 International Defence Fair May 5-8 in Istanbul, Turkey. The endeavor will harness each party's complementary skills and experience to produce and market a smart rack with enhanced capabilities for NATO aircraft, including international F-16 fighters and other strategic and unmanned platforms.

“This joint pursuit will enable development of a sophisticated payload release system to meet the critical mission needs of a variety of global customers,” said Pete Martin, vice president and general manager of the Exelis electronic attack and release systems business. “The collaboration also strengthens our relationship with the Turkish Air Force, one of our key international partners.”

For decades, Exelis has led the market in the design and production of pyrotechnically and pneumatically actuated racks and launchers. These systems support safe, reliable carriage and release of stores and payloads on a wide range of U.S. and international military platforms. TÜBİTAK SAGE has extensive experience in the development of smart weapons, aircraft integration, simulation and training systems.

“We have identified an opportunity to support this important capability among NATO nations, for which we believe there is a real need, ” said Kürşat Karail, project manager at TÜBİTAK SAGE. “Together, our organizations possess the ideal competencies and experience to succeed in this goal.”