ROKETSAN General Manager Murat İkinci made important statements at the Defense Industry Forum held as part of the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara. İkinci noted that the summit presented great opportunities for Turkey, and said that joint production and cooperation with NATO member countries were discussed.
İkinci stated that evaluating Turkey's defense industry infrastructure and production capacity in joint projects with European countries is one of the most important topics on the agenda. "We are discussing how we can contribute to NATO's defense concept and industry, and business partnership models with major European companies," İkinci said, adding that many signatures have been made in this context and he hopes the collaborations will turn into concrete projects.
TAYFUN Missile Family to be Crowned with Block 4
Pointing to the deep strike capability critical for NATO's deterrence, İkinci emphasized that the TAYFUN missile stands out in this area. Noting that TAYFUN gained the ability to hit a moving naval target thanks to its seeker head in the latest test conducted in the Black Sea, İkinci said, "TAYFUN is a hypersonic missile. It has the capability to destroy a moving target from hundreds of kilometers away. Production of Block 1, 2 and 3 continues; this family will be crowned with Block 4."
İkinci added that there is intense interest from NATO member countries in the TAYFUN family, and that cooperation opportunities for developing such capabilities are being seriously considered.
Turkey's Supply Chain Can Close Europe's Gap
Reminding that Turkey has a strong defense industry supply chain with more than 3,500 companies, İkinci said that there is no equivalent of this ecosystem in Europe. İkinci stated, "Turkey is ready to use this feature to meet the needs of Europe and NATO and to close the production gap. We believe that through cooperation with major companies, we can supply Europe's needs very quickly."
Noting that they closed last year with $10 billion in exports, İkinci predicted that if this cooperation model is implemented, this figure could rise to $15-20 billion. Emphasizing that the world's most important systems in UAV and UCAV technologies are produced in Turkey, İkinci added that smart munitions, ballistic missiles, air defense and anti-tank missiles are all produced by ROKETSAN, and that while many major companies are experiencing production difficulties, Turkey can turn this problem into an opportunity by increasing its capacity.
