Modern warfare has undergone a dramatic transformation, evident in recent conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war, engagements involving Gaza, India and Pakistan, and the recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran. At the heart of this paradigm shift is a burgeoning global reliance on advanced drone and missile technology, coupled with sophisticated air defence systems.

Turkiye, a formidable military power in the Middle East, is increasingly asserting its position as a pivotal supplier in the global defence sector. Central to this strategic ambition is Roketsan, a company established in 1988 to serve the Turkish Armed Forces, which has since evolved into the nation’s foremost manufacturer of missile and rocket systems.

Currently exporting to approximately 50 countries, Roketsan stands as one of the fastest-growing defence companies worldwide. This remarkable ascent prompts the question: How did Roketsan secure such a significant share of the global arms trade?

Bypassing Western Embargoes: A Catalyst for Self-Reliance

Turkiye’s rapid defence expansion was significantly accelerated by the very restrictions imposed upon it. Western embargoes, ostensibly aimed at hindering its military advancement, inadvertently compelled Ankara to cultivate indigenous capabilities, as it was denied access to crucial technical systems and components.

In 2020, the United States imposed stringent Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) restrictions on Turkiye, a key member of the transatlantic military alliance NATO. These punitive sanctions targeted Turkiye’s military procurement agency, its chief Ismail Demir, and three other senior officials. Washington further escalated its pressure by ejecting Ankara from the F-35 stealth jet programme in July 2019.

These measures followed Ankara’s acquisition of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system, an act perceived as a potential threat to NATO security. The European Union also prepared limited sanctions and discussed restricting arms exports amidst energy exploration disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean, further highlighting the concerted pressure on Turkiye.

In response to these external pressures, Turkiye meticulously constructed an integrated, domestic defence ecosystem. Today, the nation boasts a vast supply chain comprising nearly 4,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) spread across the country. Consequently, the Turkish defence industry now operates with an impressive local production rate exceeding 90 percent, a testament to its resilience and strategic foresight.

This strategic pivot has yielded substantial financial returns for Ankara. In 2025, Turkiye’s defence industry reported a staggering $10 billion in exports. Roketsan’s General Manager Murat Ikinci revealed to Al Jazeera that the company currently ranks 71st among global defence firms, with ambitious plans to break into the top 50, then the top 20, and ultimately the coveted top 10.

To bolster this expansion, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently inaugurated several large-scale facilities, including:

• Europe’s largest warhead facility.
• A new research and development (R&D) centre housing 1,000 engineers.
• The “Kirikkale” facility, specifically dedicated to rocket fuel technology.
• New infrastructure designed for the mass production of ballistic and cruise missiles.

These projects represent a significant $1 billion investment, with the company planning to inject an additional $2 billion to further expand its mass production capabilities.

The ‘Tayfun’ and Modern Warfare: Lessons from Global Conflicts

Roketsan’s R&D strategy, which employs 3,200 engineers and positions the company as the third-largest R&D institution in Turkiye, is profoundly shaped by insights gleaned from ongoing global conflicts.

According to Ikinci, the war in Ukraine underscored the devastating impact of cost-effective, first-person view (FPV) and kamikaze drones, often augmented by artificial intelligence. In direct response, Roketsan has developed advanced air defence systems like “ALKA” and “BURC,” alongside the “CIRIT” laser-guided missile.

The regional landscape was further complicated during the US-Israel war on Iran, where inexpensive Iranian-designed Shahed drones – recently enhanced by Russia with “Kometa-B” anti-jamming modules – demonstrated remarkable effectiveness, overwhelming existing defences and even striking a British base in Cyprus in March 2026. During the same month, NATO air defences were compelled to intercept three Iranian ballistic missiles that entered Turkish airspace, highlighting the evolving nature of aerial threats.

Meanwhile, the recent conflict between Israel and Iran showcased the sophisticated use of complex attacks, combining ballistic missiles with “swarms” of kamikaze drones specifically designed to saturate and overwhelm air defences. This challenging environment makes hypersonic technology an absolutely critical asset in modern defence.

This brings the Tayfun (Typhoon) project into sharp focus. Tayfun represents a developing family of long-range ballistic missiles. Its most advanced iteration, the Tayfun Block 4, is a hypersonic missile engineered to penetrate even the most advanced air defence systems by travelling at extreme speeds. When pressed for specific details regarding the Tayfun’s exact operational range, Ikinci remained discreet, stating, “We avoid mentioning its range; we just say its range is sufficient.”

Similarly, historical Western sanctions have inadvertently propelled Turkiye to forge new cooperation initiatives, effectively accelerating an “Eastern shift” away from a sole reliance on Western defence. Turkish drones are now being utilized by a growing number of countries, including Pakistan during its conflict against India last May.

Based on these evolving threat assessments, Roketsan has strategically prioritized five key areas of production:

• Long-range ballistic and cruise missiles.
• Advanced air defence systems, including the formidable “Steel Dome”, Hisar-A, Hisar-O, and Siper.
• Submarine-launched cruise missiles, leveraging the AKYA system to capitalize on Turkiye’s substantial submarine fleet.
• Smart micro-munitions, meticulously designed specifically for armed drones.
• Long-range air-to-air missiles, a critical need underscored by the brief India-Pakistan skirmish.

A Strategic Export Model: Partnership Over Transactions

Unlike traditional arms procurement, Turkiye is strategically marketing its defence industry to international buyers as a genuine strategic partnership. “Our offer to our partners… is as follows: Let’s produce together, let’s develop technology together,” Ikinci articulated.

By establishing joint facilities and R&D centres in allied nations across the Middle East, the Far East, and Europe, Turkiye is not merely seeking transactional sales but is actively attempting to secure long-term geopolitical alliances. Ikinci highlighted Qatar as a prime example of this successful model, describing it as a benchmark for technological, military, and security cooperation in the region.

Filling the Global Stockpile Gap: Turkiye’s Strategic Opportunity

This rapid expansion by Turkiye comes at a critically opportune moment for the global arms trade. Ongoing conflicts worldwide have severely depleted the stockpiles of advanced weapon systems, creating a significant void.

During the recent US-Israel war on Iran, Washington heavily relied on its multi-million-dollar Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems to intercept inexpensive Iranian drones targeting US assets across Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. With mounting concerns that US interceptor supplies could run low, Gulf states – which have collectively detected over 1,000 drones in their airspace – are now actively seeking alternative defence technologies. This situation presents a highly lucrative opening for Turkiye’s burgeoning missile industry.

Defence analyses indicate that even military superpowers like the US will require significant time to replenish their current air defence inventories, primarily due to the inherent complexity and massive infrastructure required to manufacture such sophisticated systems.

Turkish defence officials astutely view this global shortage as a strategic opening. Having successfully localized its supply chain, Turkiye confidently asserts its capability to manufacture and export these highly sought-after complex systems independently, free from external dependencies.

As global demand for advanced air defence and ballistic technologies continues to surge, Roketsan is aggressively reinvesting its revenues into expanding its production infrastructure, thereby solidifying its footprint in the international arms market and reinforcing Turkiye’s role as a key player in the evolving global defence landscape.