ANKARA

Turkish defense firm Roketsan’s Tayfun Blok-4 hypersonic missile demonstrated the industry’s advancements in homegrown product development and serves as a significant tool for deterrence, the firm’s general manager said at a military summit on Tuesday.

Murat Ikinci, during the Military Radar and Border Security Summit hosted by the independent industrialists' association Musiad in Ankara, said Türkiye’s strategic position in the global defense industry is evolving at a time when security balances are rapidly changing.

Ikinci emphasized that Turkish defense can now domestically produce all its system and platform needs. “A country that can make its own weapons, missiles, and radars can also determine its own security—this is the most important threshold to overcome on the path to full independence,” he said.

Ikinci stated that artificial intelligence (AI), hypersonic technologies, and space and sensor technologies will be decisive in the future of the defense industry.

“These areas will create a shift, and we are making intensive efforts to boost our domestic production, especially in sensor and laser technologies,” he noted. “Western countries have imposed both overt and covert embargoes on Türkiye, which is why we need to work on developing sensors and sub-technologies — Roketsan is one of the institutions facing the most restrictions.”

Ikinci mentioned that Roketsan’s hypersonic missile Tayfun Blok-4 was unveiled at the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF 2025) this year to meet the long-range needs of the Turkish Armed Forces with a domestically produced option.

“Having your own hypersonic missiles provides significant deterrence, and while this shows our capabilities so far, we need to develop domestic production capabilities in fuel, explosives, guidance systems, signal intelligence, sensors, fusion, and nanotechnology,” he added.

Ikinci stated that Türkiye’s multi-layered air defense system, Steel Dome, is an integrated defense network employing radars, sensors, air vehicles, naval platforms, and missiles, not only to protect the land but also the sea and the airspace all at the same time.

“Türkiye is one of the few countries with such a system, and AI-powered decision-making systems play a key role in this project, which is carried out by the joint efforts of Aselsan, Roketsan, Tubitak (Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Institution), SAGE, and MKE,” he noted.

“AI is not just a mechanism to analyze data but also a ‘mind’ to optimize communications between the radar, the missile, the command and control center, and now the ammunition—and for us, AI should not be imported but nationally developed,” he added.