“During the DSA event, we will be holding important discussions on what we can do to strengthen the naval defence of Malaysia and other countries in the region, and we will take rapid steps to meet the needs of these countries in the fastest way possible,” said Murat İkinci, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Roketsan in an exclusive interview with Jay Menon of Daily News.

Malaysia and Türkiye can be considered strategic partners. How do you evaluate Roketsan’s role in this partnership?

Türkiye and Malaysia’s extensive and close relationship continues to develop in every field based on a sense of mutual trust. Clear reflections of this can be seen particularly since the two countries agreed to upgrade their relationship to the level of “Strategic Partnership” on January 10, 2014. Under this improved relationship, significant advances have been witnessed also in the level of cooperation between the defence industries of the two countries.

Products developed by Roketsan are proving their worth in the field in many geographies around the world, and we are today able to compete with the world giants in this field with products that outperform their competitors in terms of quality, performance and price. Through the rocket, missile and weapon systems we have developed, we are able to meet all the needs of the Malaysian Armed Forces, one of the most powerful armies in the region, in this regard.

Naval defence is taking on particular strategic importance in the region due to its geographical characteristics, and Roketsan is able to respond to needs with the state-of-the-art products it has developed in this field. Our ATMACA Anti-Ship Missile, one of our most popular products in this field, has already entered the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces, and mass production has now been launched. The missile has high export potential, and has garnered interest in many regions around the world, especially in Southeast Asia. During the DSA event we will be holding important discussions on what we can do to strengthen the naval defence of Malaysia and other countries in the region, and we will take rapid steps to meet the needs of these countries in the fastest way possible.

We understand that Malaysia has placed an order for the Short-Range Anti-Tank Weapon KARAOK, making it the first export customer of this system. When will deliveries of these systems begin, and have any other countries in the region shown interest in KARAOK?

In recent times, the wars occurring in various regions of the world once again demonstrated the effectiveness of portable air defence systems and anti-tank systems that led to a significant increase in international demand for anti-tank weapons. However, there are few countries in the world with the products or production capacity to meet this demand. As Roketsan, we are the proud owners of the necessary national production capacity in Türkiye in this field, with the ability to export reliable solutions to friendly and allied nations.

There is a considerable international demand for our Short-Range Anti-Tank Weapon KARAOK, as well as such other anti-tank systems and portable air defence missile systems as SUNGUR. KARAOK, operated by a single soldier, can very quickly neutralise armoured vehicles in the field, including main battle tanks, as a highly effective weapon that has been developed based on superior technologies, and that has already gained popularity with export as well as serial production contracts.

In this context, we are continuing our efforts to meet the needs of the Malaysian Armed Forces, one of our leading customers, in the best way possible. Deliveries of KARAOK to the Malaysian Armed Forces are continuing in line with the determined schedule, and we will realise the remaining deliveries on time with strict adherence to this schedule.

Could you give us some information about Roketsan’s air defence systems and their export potential?

Roketsan produces short-, medium- and long-range air defence systems to cover all tiers of a layered air defence system. Our SUNGUR Air Defence Missile System, HİSAR-A Low-Altitude Air Defence Missile and HİSAR-O Medium-Altitude Air Defence Missile have entered the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces, and mass production is continuing. We recently conducted test firings of our National Vertical Launch System (MİDLAS) from the indigenously produced TCG İstanbul frigate, and will soon add this system to the inventory of the Turkish Naval Forces.

Among our other air defence systems, SUNGUR is a high-tech product with very high export potential that has attracted considerable interest from several countries in various parts of the world. SUNGUR has been developed for the short-range air defence of mobile or fixed units and facilities on the battlefield and in the rear area, and can be used both as a Man-portable air defence system (MANPAD) or integrated onto a platform.

Having recognised the importance of naval defence warfare for Southeast Asian countries, we are striving to develop the most effective solutions for the air defence of the naval forces in the region. Accordingly, our HİSAR Air Defence Missiles and SİPER Long-Range Air Defence and Missile System product family, which we are also exhibiting at DSA, when integrated with MİDLAS, can be considered the most effective solution in this regard. We are continuing our efforts to integrate the HİSAR- and SİPER-integrated MİDLAS with platforms in the inventories of the countries in the region. By finalising our works in this direction as soon as possible, we will both strengthen the defence of the countries in the region and make significant contributions to the exports of both our country and Roketsan.

Our Close Air Defence System LEVENT, another product developed for the self-defence of naval platforms, will form the backbone of naval air defence systems. Developed with the SUNGUR missile in mind, LEVENT will operate using two separate launchers that can be integrated with the ship’s sensors or move autonomously under the direction of their own sensors and lock on to the target. After completing the development and testing phases of LEVENT, which we hope to do as soon as possible, we will be able to meet the needs of both the Turkish Armed Forces and friendly and allied nations in this field with the most appropriate solution.

What role is Roketsan playing in Türkiye’s promotion to the Space League?

In today’s world, developed countries can be seen to be making serious investments into the space field, and we are reviewing our position accordingly. Space studies are the focal point of technologies of the future, and Türkiye is making significant investments and launching projects to ensure it stays in this race.

The first domestic probe rocket launched using national technologies reached an altitude of 126 km, exceeding the 100-km line that is considered the edge of space. We thus made our first journey into space using our own technologies.

In the following phase, we concentrated on our efforts on the collection of data from space, and completed launch tests with our new probe rockets, reaching an altitude of 136 km. This was an important milestone for us, being a significant step towards the development of liquid-fuelled rocket engines, and the payloads carried by the probe rockets launched the start of our nation’s scientific studies in space.

Looking to the future, our next target is the performance of a sub-orbital flight at an altitude of 300+ km with a new probe rocket, with a payload capacity of 100 kg that will contribute further to our space studies. Following this, we aim to successfully launch Şimşek-1 Space Launch System, featuring a fully liquid-fuelled propulsion system that can place a satellite weighing 400 kg in a 550 km orbit – alongside the Starlink satellites, by scaling up the technologies we have developed. Upon the successful completion of this programme, Türkiye will have gained the capability to launch, test, produce satellites, and establish bases, capabilities that few countries in the world possess.

Could you tell us about the main purpose of Roketsan, and its short- and long-term goals?

Roketsan is able to fully meet the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces in its areas of operation and is today able to export its products to many parts of the world, from Europe to Asia, and from Africa to America in global competitions.

We have developed ground-breaking technologies in the rocket, missile and weapon system fields, and we continue to take firm steps towards the future with more than 5,000 employees, modern facilities, large R&D investments and products with proven success in the field.

In 2023, the strength and success of our company in the sector were proven by being ranked 80th on the list of the 100 largest defence industry companies in the world prepared by Defense News, 10th on the list of the fastest growing defence industry companies in the world by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), and in the top percentile in the size ranking of defence industry companies prepared by SIPRI. We aim to build on this success by gaining higher ranks in the coming years.