Türkiye’s Roketsan firm relies on domestic production for power

Roketsan, a Turkish defense firm, reportedly increased the share of domestically produced components in its products to more than 90%, drawing on domestic production to power its offerings, according to the company's general manager in an interview.

Murat Ikinci, speaking at a Turkish Press Federation conference, said Roketsan has become one of Türkiye’s largest research and development centers, employing over 6,000 people in the Turkish defense workforce and ranking as the country's second-fastest-growing defense firm, trailing only Baykar.

Exports have contributed significantly to this growth, Ikinci said, adding: "Roketsan has two fundamental goals; the first is to develop the best weapons systems for the Turkish Armed Forces, and the second is to export these systems to allied countries."

“Even when procuring products as insignificant as a screw or a rivet, we keep facing obstacles as Roketsan, but these obstacles pushed us to increase our domestic production—Roketsan is now independent in its production, thanks to our efforts over the past 10 years,” he noted. “With our over 2,000 business partners, we produce and use parts made entirely by domestic means.”

Ikinci said Roketsan is exporting to around 50 countries, as their weapons are used in many different regions, ranging from the humid Amazon climate to the cold in Europe.

He mentioned that the firm developed Türkiye’s air defense system, the Steel Dome, with its components like the Hisar, Sungur, Alka, and Siper air defense systems. “The construction of the Steel Dome will never cease—the number of the systems will increase, and the progress will reach a point where pretty much no human intervention will be needed,” he said.