Where Are ROKETSAN’s Factories? Locations and How Many
ROKETSAN’s factories are concentrated in and around Ankara and neighbouring Kırıkkale in Central Anatolia. The company’s core site is its main production and test campus in the Elmadağ district of Ankara. New facilities in Lalahan (missile integration) and Kırıkkale (rocket propellant), opened in 2026, raise output roughly fivefold. In short, ROKETSAN is not a single plant but a compact network of sites.
| ROKETSAN Factories — At a Glance | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters city | Ankara |
| Main production/test | Elmadağ (Ankara) |
| Missile integration | Lalahan (Ankara) — April 2026 |
| Rocket propellant | Kırıkkale — April 2026 |
| Region | Central Anatolia (Ankara + Kırıkkale) |
| New investment | Over US$1 billion |
| Capacity goal | ~5x increase in missile output |
| Founded | 14 June 1988, Ankara |
Where are ROKETSAN’s factories?
ROKETSAN’s factories are not scattered across the country; they are clustered in Ankara province and just to its east in Kırıkkale. This concentration is deliberate: Ankara, Türkiye’s capital, is also the heart of its defence industry. Many of ROKETSAN’s partners and customers are based in the same region, so missile and rocket production takes shape as a tight industrial cluster in Central Anatolia.
The company’s best-known address is Elmadağ, a district east of Ankara that hosts the large campus where ROKETSAN carries out its main production and testing. This is where rocket motors, guided munitions and missile systems are built, and where the firing and test infrastructure sits. Locating the campus on a wide, secured site away from the city centre provides the safety distances a facility handling explosives and propellants requires.
ROKETSAN was also founded in Ankara. Established on 14 June 1988 by a decision of the Defence Industry Executive Committee, the company has kept the capital and its surroundings as the centre of gravity for its operations ever since. So the clear answer to “which city is ROKETSAN in?” is Ankara — and with the new sites, that geography now extends into Kırıkkale as well.
How many factories does ROKETSAN have?
It is misleading to picture ROKETSAN as a single building. The company operates as a production network in which several sites, each with a distinct role, work together. At the centre of that network sits the Elmadağ campus, joined in 2026 by two major new facilities.
The Lalahan facility is dedicated to missile integration — bringing different sub-systems together into a complete missile. The Kırıkkale facility focuses on producing the propellant that gives rockets and missiles their thrust. These two new sites are part of a large capacity push, inaugurated in April 2026 and delivered with more than US$1 billion of investment. The aim is to increase ROKETSAN’s missile production capacity roughly fivefold.
Given all this, the most accurate answer to “how many factories does ROKETSAN have?” is to speak of three principal, complementary sites: Elmadağ (main production and testing), Lalahan (integration) and Kırıkkale (propellant). Each of these holds numerous production buildings, workshops, laboratories and test areas. The table below summarises these sites by location and function:
ROKETSAN’s principal factories and campuses are listed below with their locations and core functions. The new Lalahan and Kırıkkale sites entered service in April 2026.
Why are the factories in Ankara and Kırıkkale?
The clustering of ROKETSAN’s factories in Central Anatolia reflects a wider plan that gathers Türkiye’s defence industry around the capital. Because Ankara also hosts ASELSAN, TUSAŞ and many other defence organisations, siting ROKETSAN there brings advantages for both the supply chain and the recruitment of skilled engineers. The fact that ASELSAN and MKE — both shareholders in ROKETSAN — operate in the same region turns this geographic proximity into a strategic choice.
Because rocket and missile production involves explosives and propellants, it requires wide, secured land at a sufficient distance from urban areas. Districts east of Ankara such as Elmadağ, Lalahan and Kırıkkale combine closeness to the capital with the large, suitable sites such facilities need. The safety buffers required for testing and firing are a decisive factor in this siting.
The opening of the new Kırıkkale propellant plant brings a critical link of the production chain into the same geography and inside the country. From design to propellant production and from integration to testing, the different stages of missile manufacturing are now gathered in nearby sites — giving Central Anatolia the look of a “missile production valley.”
How the factories reshape Türkiye’s missile capacity
The inauguration of the Lalahan and Kırıkkale sites means more than ROKETSAN adding new buildings; the investment represents a significant jump in Türkiye’s missile production capacity. Delivered with more than US$1 billion, these facilities are intended to raise missile output roughly fivefold — decisive both for meeting the growing needs of the Turkish Armed Forces and for responding to rising export demand.
The most critical part of the increase is the scaling of propellant production at Kırıkkale. Rocket motors and propellant are among the most sensitive and potentially bottleneck items in missile manufacturing. Securing this capability domestically and at expanded scale reduces ROKETSAN’s reliance on foreign supply and speeds up production.
ROKETSAN’s factory network also matches the company’s rapidly growing turnover. According to statements by its CEO, 2025 turnover exceeded US$2 billion, and with new contracts the total order book reached around US$10 billion. Expanding production infrastructure was essential to handle an order book of this size; the Lalahan and Kırıkkale sites answer exactly that need. Some technical details and the full built-up areas of the facilities have not been officially disclosed for security reasons.
ROKETSAN’s factory locations (Ankara/Elmadağ, Lalahan, Kırıkkale) and the new facility investment are based on official statements and news reporting. Details such as built-up area, staffing and production lines have not been officially disclosed for security reasons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are ROKETSAN’s factories?
ROKETSAN’s factories are largely in Ankara and neighbouring Kırıkkale. The main production and test campus is in the Elmadağ district of Ankara, complemented by the Lalahan (missile integration) and Kırıkkale (propellant) facilities.
Which city is ROKETSAN in?
ROKETSAN is headquartered in Ankara and was founded there in 1988. Its main campus is in Ankara’s Elmadağ district. With the new propellant plant, its production geography now extends into neighbouring Kırıkkale province.
How many factories does ROKETSAN have?
ROKETSAN is not a single factory but a network of complementary sites. The principal ones are Elmadağ (main production/testing), Lalahan (missile integration) and Kırıkkale (propellant). Each site contains many production buildings and test areas.
When did the Lalahan and Kırıkkale facilities open?
The Lalahan missile integration facility and the Kırıkkale propellant plant entered service in April 2026. Total investment exceeds US$1 billion, with the aim of increasing missile production capacity roughly fivefold.
Why did ROKETSAN build its factories around Ankara?
Ankara is the centre of Türkiye’s defence industry, and ROKETSAN’s shareholders ASELSAN and MKE are in the same region. Missile production also needs wide, secured land away from cities. Elmadağ, Lalahan and Kırıkkale combine these needs with proximity to the capital.
How much do the new facilities boost capacity?
With more than US$1 billion of investment, the Lalahan and Kırıkkale facilities aim to raise ROKETSAN’s missile production capacity roughly fivefold. The Kırıkkale propellant plant in particular targets a key production bottleneck.
Sources
- ROKETSAN official — roketsan.com.tr
- Turkish Armed Forces Foundation (TSKGV) — tskgv.org.tr
- Anadolu Agency and Daily Sabah reporting (2026, facility openings)
- Defense News Top 100, 2025 edition
- Wikipedia (English) — ROKETSAN
