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Roketsan unveils mystery ballistic missile, opens $1B facilities, delivers 20 systems

President Erdogan attends the Roketsan Production Facilities opening, Mass Production Deliveries and Groundbreaking ceremony, April 7, 2026, in Ankara. (Photo via Turkish Presidency/Mustafa Kamaci)
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President Erdogan attends the Roketsan Production Facilities opening, Mass Production Deliveries and Groundbreaking ceremony, April 7, 2026, in Ankara. (Photo via Turkish Presidency/Mustafa Kamaci)
April 12, 2026 07:21 AM GMT+03:00

Turkish missile producer Roketsan unveiled a previously unknown large ballistic missile at a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 7.

The company simultaneously opened three new production facilities worth $1 billion, laid the foundation for a fourth, and delivered approximately 20 weapons systems to the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF).

Roketsan CEO Murat Ikinci called it "the largest defense industry investments in the history of the Republic."

President Erdogan attends the Roketsan Production Facilities opening, Mass Production Deliveries and Groundbreaking ceremony, April 7, 2026, in Ankara. (Photo via Turkish Presidency/Murat Cetinmuhurdar)
President Erdogan attends the Roketsan Production Facilities opening, Mass Production Deliveries and Groundbreaking ceremony, April 7, 2026, in Ankara. (Photo via Turkish Presidency/Murat Cetinmuhurdar)

Unidentified large ballistic missile displayed alongside Tayfun

A large-sized ballistic missile not previously publicly identified was displayed at the ceremony alongside Tayfun ballistic missile launchers.

The missile, transported on a trailer towed by a Koluman DERMAN 8x8 truck, the same platform used for Tayfun and the Atmaca-UM land attack cruise missile, is visibly larger than the Tayfun in both length and diameter.

No technical specifications or official name were provided.

Roketsan is known to be working on two large ballistic missile projects: CENK and Tayfun Block 4.

CENK is a large ballistic missile carried in a truck-and-trailer configuration, with indications of a maneuverable re-entry vehicle based on fins observed at the front, a feature that would contribute to accuracy and the ability to evade interceptors.

Tayfun Block 4, first unveiled at IDEF 2025, features a diameter of 938 millimeters, a length of 10 meters and a mass of 7.2 tonnes, with hypersonic speed capability designed to defeat existing air and missile defense systems.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends the Roketsan Production Facilities opening, Mass Production Deliveries, and Groundbreaking ceremony, April 7, 2026, in Ankara. (Photo via Turkish Presidency/Mustafa Kamaci)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends the Roketsan Production Facilities opening, Mass Production Deliveries, and Groundbreaking ceremony, April 7, 2026, in Ankara. (Photo via Turkish Presidency/Mustafa Kamaci)

Three facilities opened, one foundation laid

The three facilities inaugurated on April 7, are the Kirikkale Fuel Production Plant, the Lalahan Warhead Plant, and the N-26 Advanced Technologies R&D and Engineering Center.

The Kirikkale Fuel Production Plant, built on 25,000 dunams of land with 52,000 square meters of enclosed space and 83 structures, will quintuple Türkiye's fuel production capacity. Its total investment value is $450 million.

The Lalahan Warhead Plant, described as Europe's largest warhead facility, covers 21,000 square meters and will enable production of anti-tank warheads, Tayfun ballistic missile warheads and penetration warheads. Investment value: $350 million.

The N-26 R&D and Engineering Center, built at a cost of $100 million, provides 30,000 square meters of space for 1,000 engineers and advanced technology laboratories.

The foundation was also laid for the Lalahan Missile Integration Facilities, which will cover approximately 72,000 square meters across 18 structures and quintuple serial production line capacity when complete.

President Erdogan signs the Block-4 missile during the Roketsan Production Facilities opening, Mass Production Deliveries and Groundbreaking ceremony on April 7, 2026, in Ankara. (Photo via Turkish Presidency/Mustafa Kamaci)
President Erdogan signs the Block-4 missile during the Roketsan Production Facilities opening, Mass Production Deliveries and Groundbreaking ceremony on April 7, 2026, in Ankara. (Photo via Turkish Presidency/Mustafa Kamaci)

$3 billion total investment, 3,300 new jobs

Ikinci said the completed facilities represent $1 billion in realized investment, with an additional $2 billion in planned investment, bringing the total to $3 billion.

"With these investments, we will strengthen our multipronged air defense, boost our strategic power, consolidate our cruise and ballistic missile capabilities, and will make remarkable contributions to our smart ammunition family, mass production speed and R&D capacity," Erdogan said.

The new and upcoming facilities will create employment for 2,000 personnel, while the Lalahan Missile Integration Facilities are planned to employ an additional 1,300, a total of 3,300 new jobs.

Nearly 20 systems delivered to Turkish Armed Forces

Deliveries made to the Turkish Armed Forces at the ceremony included:

  • Tayfun ballistic missile
  • Siper long-range air and missile defense system
  • Atmaca anti-ship missile
  • Hisar-A low-altitude air defense missile
  • Hisar-O medium-altitude RF air defense missile
  • Sungur air defense missile system
  • Kara Atmaca land-attack cruise missile
  • Cakir cruise missile
  • SOM cruise missile
  • T-107/122 multiple-launch rocket system
  • MAM-L, MAM-C and MAM-T smart munitions
  • TEBER guidance kit
  • L-OMTAS laser-guided medium-range anti-tank system
  • OMTAS medium-range anti-tank system
  • Cirit laser-guided missile
  • LUMTAS laser-guided long-range anti-tank system
  • Karaok portable anti-tank system
  • IHA-230 air-to-ground ballistic supersonic missile.
President Erdogan attends the Roketsan Production Facilities opening, Mass Production Deliveries and Groundbreaking ceremony, April 7, 2026, in Ankara. (Photo via Turkish Presidency/Murat Cetinmuhurdar)
President Erdogan attends the Roketsan Production Facilities opening, Mass Production Deliveries and Groundbreaking ceremony, April 7, 2026, in Ankara. (Photo via Turkish Presidency/Murat Cetinmuhurdar)

Roketsan's R&D footprint and export surge

Roketsan employs more than 7,000 people, of whom more than 3,000 are R&D personnel across four R&D centers.

In 2025, the company received more than $10 billion in new orders, completed the year with export growth exceeding 100% and filed 69 national patent applications, making it the top filer in Türkiye's defense sector for domestic patents and utility models.

It currently operates 170 contracted projects and has a supply chain ecosystem of more than 2,300 firms. Its domestic production ratio has reached 90%.

The company supplies products to nearly 50 countries and derives more than 38% of its revenue from exports.

Independent space access countdown underway

Ikinci also said Roketsan's Simsek 1 and 2 space launch vehicle projects are progressing at full speed, and that the company is counting down to launching a domestically produced space vehicle capable of carrying Türkiye's own satellites into orbit.

"We will make it happen and successfully launch it in the shortest possible time. We are counting the days," Ikinci said.

April 12, 2026 07:21 AM GMT+03:00
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