TEKNOFEST Air Defense Systems Competition

TEKNOFEST Air Defense Systems The competition is an engineering contest held within the framework of TEKNOFEST Aviation, Space and Technology Festival, one of Türkiye’s largest organizations focused on technology and innovation, aiming to develop innovative solutions in the field of defense technologies. The competition is designed for university students with the goal of promoting country and original solutions for air defense systems that play a critical role in to develop security.

Air defense systems are of vital importance in military applications for protecting both military units and civilian infrastructure. Recent international developments have firmly established that in today’s war domains, decisive advantage lies not only in air power but also in capable defense systems that can counter it. In this context, the primary objective of the competition is to encourage university students to develop air defense systems capable of autonomous and manual operation, with the ability to detect, track and neutralize targets based on realistic real world scenarios. Simultaneously, the competition aims to promote widespread adoption of indigenous, original and talented system designs across Türkiye.

^{TEKNOFEST Air Defense Systems Competition (Photo: Akif Yusuf Ekin)}

The competition is open exclusively to higher education students (associate, undergraduate and graduate). Participation must be in teams; teams must consist of at least three and no more than fifteen members (excluding advisor). Teams may be formed solely from students of a single university or by combining students from different institutions. Each team may participate in only one competition; members of disqualified or eliminated teams are not permitted to join other teams. All processes are conducted through the TEKNOFEST CMS (Competition Management System).

The competition is carried out through a multi-stage process that evaluates technical competence and mission performance. The stages are as follows: Preliminary Design Report (PDR), Critical Design Report (CDR), Mission Demonstration Video, Live Demonstration and Evaluation. In each report and mission stage, teams are scored in detail based on technical competence, system security, originality and mission success. The final score is determined by weighted assessment of all stages.

^{TEKNOFEST Air Defense Systems Competition (Photo: Akif Yusuf Ekin)}

The competition consists of three mission stages, each requiring increasing levels of autonomy and capability:

1. Semi-Autonomous Target Tracking and Neutralization: The system begins target tracking upon user command. Tracking proceeds automatically, but firing authorization is given manually. After firing, re-acquisition of a new target is again initiated by user command.
2. Autonomous Target Detection and Neutralization: After activation, the system switches entirely to autonomous mode. Target detection, identification, tracking and neutralization are performed entirely by the system with minimal team intervention.
3. Target Neutralization Based on Engagement Data: The team is provided with a target designation (engagement order). From two distinct target boards, the correct one must be selected and autonomously neutralized. Selecting the wrong target board or neutralizing the incorrect target results in penalty points.

All systems must include an externally accessible emergency stop button (push, rotary or magnetic). Before each stage, teams are granted a 30 minute preparation period and permission for test shots. Teams may take up to two maintenance breaks per stage, totaling a maximum of 10 minutes. Tests may be canceled or repeated due to external factors in the test environment; this decision is made by the team leader.

^{TEKNOFEST Air Defense Systems Competition (Photo: Akif Yusuf Ekin)}

The competition directly aligns with Türkiye’s National Technology Initiative vision. It equips participants with technical information, teamwork, problem-solving and systems engineering competencies relevant to roles in the defense industry. It also contributes to cultivating the human resources needed by Türkiye’s domestic defense industry.

The TEKNOFEST Air Defense Systems Competition provides a practical and competitive platform that guides young engineer candidates toward critical technologies. Participants gain not only technical skills but also valuable competencies in strategic thinking, crisis management and system integration.