ROKETSAN Elmadağ Facility: Ankara Site & Test Centre

ROKETSAN’s Elmadağ facility is the company’s main site, located in the Elmadağ district of Ankara. It has been the heart of ROKETSAN since the company was founded in 1988: rocket-motor and missile production, system integration, R&D laboratories and a large firing/test range are all located on this campus. Elmadağ is where Türkiye’s national missile and rocket capability is actually built and tested.

Where is ROKETSAN’s Elmadağ facility?

ROKETSAN’s main campus sits in the Elmadağ district, east of Ankara. Connected to the city by road, the location was chosen because it offers both extensive production plants and the secure firing/test range required for rocket and missile trials. Positioned on controlled land away from residential areas, it allows sensitive tests such as motor static firings and ballistic trials to be conducted safely.

Elmadağ is the site most people associate with ROKETSAN, because it has been the centre of gravity for the company’s design, production and test activities ever since it was founded in 1988. In public discourse ROKETSAN is often referred to directly as the “Elmadağ facility”. While the company’s headquarters and corporate functions are integrated with Ankara, the bulk of its physical production and test capability is concentrated on this campus.

What is done at the Elmadağ facility?

The Elmadağ site houses most of the journey a missile takes from concept to fielding, all under one roof. The main activities on the campus are:

• Rocket-motor and propulsion production: solid-propellant rocket motors and propulsion systems are produced here — one of ROKETSAN’s most critical and most protected indigenous capabilities.
• Missile and munition production: production lines for a broad portfolio ranging from anti-tank missiles to air-defence and cruise missiles.
• System integration: guidance, warhead and propulsion sub-systems are brought together into complete systems.
• R&D and laboratories: design, simulation and materials/composite work are carried out.
• Firing and test range: motor static firings and various validation tests are conducted in secure test areas.

This integrated structure is the backbone that makes ROKETSAN’s “from design to test, in-country” principle a practical reality.

ROKETSAN’s production capability is not limited to Elmadağ; in recent years new sites have been brought online to expand capacity. The table below summarises ROKETSAN’s main facilities and their functions.

Why is Elmadağ strategic for ROKETSAN?

The Elmadağ facility is the most tangible physical expression of Türkiye’s goal of defence self-sufficiency. To produce a guided missile a country needs not only design know-how but also hard-to-establish capabilities such as solid-propellant production, motor static-firing test infrastructure and secure trial ranges. By concentrating these capabilities in one place, Elmadağ makes ROKETSAN not merely an assembly line but an end-to-end missile development centre.

Propulsion (rocket motor and propellant) technology is among the most heavily export-restricted fields in the world. ROKETSAN developing this capability indigenously at Elmadağ allows Türkiye to build missiles independently of foreign supply constraints. In that sense Elmadağ is the common production base for the national air-defence architecture (Steel Dome) and the anti-tank, anti-ship and ballistic-missile programmes.

Elmadağ, Lalahan and Kırıkkale: the capacity push

Rising domestic demand and export orders have pushed ROKETSAN to grow with new sites beyond Elmadağ. Brought online in 2026, the Lalahan missile-integration and Kırıkkale propellant plants target a roughly fivefold increase in missile production capacity, backed by more than $1 billion of investment. This move is positioned as an expansion complementing the existing production and test capability at Elmadağ.

According to statements by the CEO, the company’s 2025 turnover exceeded $2 billion, and with new contracts its total order book reached around $10 billion. This growth has made it necessary for the production base to evolve from an Elmadağ-centred core into a multi-site structure. Thus Elmadağ continues to be ROKETSAN’s historical and technological centre, while Lalahan and Kırıkkale form its capacity arms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is ROKETSAN’s Elmadağ facility?

ROKETSAN’s main campus is in the Elmadağ district east of Ankara. Its extensive production plants and secure firing/test range are located on this site.

What is produced at the Elmadağ facility?

Elmadağ hosts rocket-motor and propulsion production, missile and munition manufacturing, system integration and R&D; motor static firings and validation tests are also carried out there.

Is ROKETSAN’s headquarters at Elmadağ?

ROKETSAN is headquartered in Ankara, with its main production/test site at Elmadağ. The company is often referred to publicly by its Elmadağ facility.

Is there a test/firing range at Elmadağ?

Yes. The Elmadağ campus has controlled test areas for rocket-motor static firings and various validation tests — one of the site’s most critical features.

Does ROKETSAN have facilities outside Elmadağ?

Yes. The Lalahan missile-integration and Kırıkkale propellant plants, brought online in 2026, aim to raise missile production capacity roughly fivefold with over $1 billion of investment.

When was the Elmadağ facility established?

ROKETSAN was founded on 14 June 1988, and the centre of gravity of its activities has been the Elmadağ site from the start. The facility grew together with the company.

Sources

• ROKETSAN official website — roketsan.com.tr
• Turkish Armed Forces Foundation (TSKGV) — tskgv.org.tr
• Anadolu Agency and Daily Sabah reporting (2025-2026; Lalahan and Kırıkkale plants, capacity and turnover)
• Defense News Top 100 (2025) — defence-revenue ranking

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