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.
According to Anadolu Agency, Murat Ikinci, during the Military Radar and Border Security Summit hosted by the independent industrialists' association Musiad in Ankara, highlighted Trkiye's evolving strategic position in the global defense industry amid rapidly changing security balances. Ikinci emphasized the importance of domestic production capabilities in achieving full independence, stating that a country capable of producing its own weapons, missiles, and radars can effectively determine its security.
Ikinci further noted the decisive role that artificial intelligence (AI), hypersonic technologies, and space and sensor technologies will play in the future of the defense industry. He mentioned the intensive efforts underway to enhance domestic production, particularly in sensor and laser technologies, in response to overt and covert embargoes imposed by Western countries on Trkiye. Roketsan, facing significant restrictions, is actively working on developing sensors and sub-technologies.
The unveiling of Roketsan's hypersonic missile Tayfun Blok-4 at the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF 2025) marks a significant milestone in meeting the long-range needs of the Turkish Armed Forces with a domestically produced option. Ikinci stressed the importance of developing domestic production capabilities in various areas, including fuel, explosives, guidance systems, signal intelligence, sensors, fusion, and nanotechnology, to enhance deterrence.
Ikinci also outlined Trkiye's multi-layered air defense system, Steel Dome, an integrated network employing radars, sensors, air vehicles, naval platforms, and missiles to protect land, sea, and airspace simultaneously. He highlighted Trkiye's status as one of the few countries equipped with such a system, with AI-powered decision-making systems playing a crucial role. The project involves joint efforts by Aselsan, Roketsan, Tubitak (Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Institution), SAGE, and MKE.
AI, according to Ikinci, is not merely a data analysis tool but a 'mind' optimizing communications between radar, missile, command and control center, and ammunition. He stressed the need for AI to be nationally developed rather than imported, underscoring its importance in Trkiye's defense strategy.