Roketsan to build missiles with local engines under IDEF 2025 deal

The Turkish defense manufacturer Roketsan signed a groundbreaking agreement with Istanbul-based Kale Jet Engines during IDEF 2025, marking a strategic step toward reducing dependency on foreign technology. This collaboration will significantly contribute to Turkey’s goal of developing missiles with local engines, strengthening its defense autonomy. The agreement represents a crucial advancement in ensuring that Turkey becomes fully self-reliant in critical defense sectors.

Main Points of the Roketsan-Kale Jet Engines Contract

The agreement, which was made at IDEF 2025 in Istanbul, is considered one of the biggest advancements in Turkish localization procedures within the defense sector. Four of Roketsan’s top cruise missile systems will be equipped with Kale’s domestically developed turbojet engines under this comprehensive deal:

Missile-Engine Combinations:

• Atmaca cruise missile – KTJ-3200A engine
• SOM cruise missile – KTJ-3200S engine
• Kara Atmaca missile – KTJ-3700 engine
• Çakır cruise missile – KTJ-1750 engine

High-Technology Engine Performance

The KTJ-3700 is a technological masterpiece, providing the highest thrust in its class. This high-performance engine will enhance the Turkish Armed Forces’ operational capabilities by ensuring longer-range missions with minimal fuel consumption.
The KTJ-3200 series has already gained international recognition as Turkey’s first exported indigenous turbojet engine, used in Brazil and the UAE’s MANSUP-ER anti-ship missile program. This demonstrates Turkey’s growing influence in the global defense market, with its missiles with local engines gaining momentum internationally.

IDEF 2025: Turkish Defense Innovation on Display

This announcement came at a perfect venue the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) 2025, held in Istanbul from July 22–27. IDEF has become a key platform for showcasing Turkish defense progress and technology. Roketsan showcased several state-of-the-art systems, such as the Tayfun Block-4 hypersonic missile and advanced munitions, reinforcing Turkey’s global status as a defense technology leader.

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 Strategic Implications of Defense Independence

The collaboration between Roketsan and Kale Jet Engines is more than a commercial agreement it reflects Turkey’s strategic intent to localize its defense ecosystem.

 Advantages of local engine production include:

• Supply Chain Security: Reducing dependence on foreign suppliers
• Cost Efficiency: Lower long-term costs and better pricing control
• Technology Transfer: Local expertise and knowledge retention
• Export Potential: Entirely indigenous systems are more attractive to international buyers

Operational Benefits for Turkish Armed Forces

Introducing Kale’s high-performance engines into Roketsan’s missile platforms will yield direct benefits:

• Increased Range: Better fuel efficiency enables longer missions
• Simplified Logistics: Standardized components ease maintenance
• Improved Reliability: Quality control and local support
• Strategic Autonomy: Elimination of foreign reliance in propulsion systems

 Positioning and Future Outlook

This deal places Turkey among the few nations capable of developing complete cruise missile systems using domestic technology. The KTJ-3200’s success abroad demonstrates that missiles with local engines are a viable export product for the global market.

 A Milestone in Defense Autonomy

The Roketsan-Kale agreement, signed at IDEF 2025, marks a pivotal step toward Turkey’s vision of full defense independence. With Roketsan’s cutting-edge missile systems and Kale’s advanced propulsion technologies, Turkey is moving rapidly toward becoming a major force in the global defense sector.
This collaboration reflects Turkey’s long-term vision of achieving strategic sovereignty, and missiles with local engines now stand as a powerful symbol of national pride and technological progress.

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