ROKETSAN Certifications: ISO 9001, AS 9100 and NATO AQAP

ROKETSAN’s quality framework rests on three pillars: the ISO 9001 quality management system, the aerospace and defence standard AS 9100, and NATO’s AQAP 2110 and AQAP 2310 quality assurance requirements. The company additionally applies ISO 14001 (environment), ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety), ISO/IEC 27001 (information security), ISO 50001 (energy) and ISO 17025 for laboratory competence. Its calibration and ballistic laboratories are accredited by the Turkish Accreditation Agency (TÜRKAK).

What is ROKETSAN’s quality management system?

Because ROKETSAN develops products such as guided missiles and rockets, where the margin for error is extremely small, quality is treated not as a single inspection but as an integrated set of management systems covering the entire lifecycle. At the base of that structure sits ISO 9001, the world’s most widely used quality management standard. ISO 9001 ties customer requirements, defined processes and continuous improvement into day-to-day corporate practice.

In defence and aerospace products, ISO 9001 alone is not considered sufficient. ROKETSAN therefore also applies AS 9100, the standard that adds sector-specific requirements on top of it. AS 9100 contains every ISO 9001 clause and layers on traceability, configuration management and risk control obligations specific to the aviation, space and defence industries. As a result, every step from the design of a missile to its delivery is recorded and made auditable.

In its official policy statement the company frames this approach around “right first time” production and continuous improvement, stressing that every employee is directly responsible for product quality.

Which quality certifications does ROKETSAN hold?

The principal management system standards ROKETSAN declares in its publicly available corporate policies are:

• ISO 9001 — Quality Management System.
• AS 9100 — Aviation, Space and Defence Quality Management System.
• AQAP 2110 and AQAP 2310 — NATO quality assurance requirements.
• ISO 14001 — Environmental Management System.
• ISO 45001 — Occupational Health and Safety Management System.
• ISO/IEC 27001 — Information Security Management System.
• ISO 17025 — Competence of testing and calibration laboratories.
• ISO 50001 — Energy Management System.

These certifications complement one another. ISO 9001 and AS 9100 govern product quality; the AQAP publications govern quality assurance inside the NATO supply chain; ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 50001 cover the environment, worker safety and energy efficiency; and ISO/IEC 27001 covers information security, which is critical in defence programmes. ISO 17025, in turn, defines the technical competence of the company’s own test and calibration laboratories.

ROKETSAN’s quality capability is not underwritten by certificates alone, but by the test laboratories that physically verify its products. The company runs these laboratories both for its own programmes and for external customers. The table below summarises the laboratories and the accreditation status that can be confirmed in publicly available sources.

AQAP and NATO quality assurance standards

The quality layer that most clearly separates the defence sector from civil industry is the AQAP (Allied Quality Assurance Publications) series. These are NATO publications that give member states a common quality assurance language across the defence supply chain. AQAP 2110, which ROKETSAN applies, sets out quality assurance requirements covering the design, development and production phases. AQAP 2310 adds further quality assurance requirements written specifically for aviation, space and defence contractors.

The practical weight of AQAP certification is considerable: in deliveries to NATO and allied nations it provides independent confirmation that products were manufactured inside a defined quality assurance framework. For ROKETSAN this is a strong reference point, showing that the company meets the quality threshold expected in international export contracts and joint programmes.

A domestic AS 9100 certificate: ROKETSAN’s milestone

For many years, AS 9100 certification could only be obtained from foreign certification bodies. To change that picture, SAHA MİHENK was established in 2017 and, in 2021, took its place within the European aerospace quality structure as Türkiye’s regional management structure (Turkish RMS). Through the same process the Turkish Accreditation Agency (TÜRKAK) became the authorised accreditation body, and Türk Loydu became the first Turkish certification body entitled to issue AS 9100 certificates.

At the end of that chain, ROKETSAN became the first Turkish company to receive an AS 9100 certificate from an accredited Turkish certification body. The certification was entered into the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) OASIS database, listing TÜRKAK as the accreditation body, Türk Loydu as the certification body and ROKETSAN as the certified supplier. OASIS is the central portal that holds certification and audit records for aerospace suppliers worldwide; appearing there is a precondition for entering the approved supplier lists of international prime contractors.

The significance of this development extends beyond a single company. The Turkish defence and aerospace industry can now have AS 9100 audits carried out domestically, in Turkish and by local auditors — a structural gain that lowers both the cost and the lead time of certification.

Accredited laboratories and ROKETSAN’s role in Turkish industry

ROKETSAN’s approach to quality becomes tangible in the laboratories that physically test its products. The company’s Calibration Laboratory is accredited by TÜRKAK to TS EN ISO/IEC 17025 under number AB-0127-K; it provides calibration services in the optical, dimensional and electrical fields and bases its measurement management system on ISO 10012. The Closed Ballistic Laboratory received TÜRKAK accreditation in 2015, while the accreditation certificate of the Physical and Metallurgical Test Laboratory is published on the company’s official website.

What accreditation means in practice is this: test results produced by these laboratories are independently recognised within the internationally accepted ISO/IEC 17025 framework. ROKETSAN does not reserve that capability for its own programmes. It also offers ballistic, environmental, metallurgical, calibration and EMI/EMC testing as a service to other defence industry organisations.

Combining the ISO 9001, AS 9100 and AQAP chain with accredited laboratories makes ROKETSAN one of the core organisations in the Turkish defence industry able to impose quality standards on its own suppliers. That structure allows the country to close its “design-produce-verify” loop domestically, using standards recognised internationally.

Frequently Asked Questions

What certifications does ROKETSAN have?

ROKETSAN mainly applies the ISO 9001 (quality), AS 9100 (aviation, space and defence quality), ISO 14001 (environment), ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety), ISO/IEC 27001 (information security), ISO 17025 (laboratory competence) and ISO 50001 (energy) management systems, together with NATO’s AQAP 2110 and AQAP 2310 quality assurance requirements.

What is AS 9100 and how does it differ from ISO 9001?

AS 9100 is the quality management standard specific to the aviation, space and defence industries. It contains all ISO 9001 requirements and adds sector-specific obligations such as traceability, configuration management and risk control.

Was ROKETSAN the first company to obtain a domestically issued AS 9100 certificate?

Yes. ROKETSAN is the first Turkish company to receive an AS 9100 certificate from an accredited Turkish certification body (Türk Loydu). The certification was recorded in the IAQG’s OASIS database, listing TÜRKAK, Türk Loydu and ROKETSAN.

What do AQAP 2110 and AQAP 2310 mean?

AQAP refers to NATO’s Allied Quality Assurance Publications. AQAP 2110 covers the design, development and production phases, while AQAP 2310 sets additional quality assurance requirements for aviation, space and defence contractors.

Are ROKETSAN’s laboratories accredited?

The Calibration Laboratory is accredited by TÜRKAK to TS EN ISO/IEC 17025 under number AB-0127-K. The Closed Ballistic Laboratory received TÜRKAK accreditation in 2015, and the accreditation certificate of the Physical and Metallurgical Test Laboratory is published on the official website. The accreditation scope of the other test services can be verified through the TÜRKAK database.

Which standard does ROKETSAN use for information security?

ROKETSAN applies the ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management System standard to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information assets that are critical in defence programmes.

Does ROKETSAN provide test and quality services to other companies?

Yes. ROKETSAN offers its laboratories to other organisations, primarily defence industry firms, as independent ballistic, environmental, metallurgical, calibration and EMI/EMC testing services.

Sources

• ROKETSAN — Our Policies (list of management system standards): roketsan.com.tr
• ROKETSAN — Calibration Services (TS EN ISO/IEC 17025, TÜRKAK AB-0127-K): roketsan.com.tr
• ROKETSAN — Laboratory Test Services / Certificates and Documents: roketsan.com.tr
• SAHA İstanbul — “ROKETSAN becomes the first Turkish company to receive a domestically issued AS9100 certificate”: sahaistanbul.org.tr
• Turkish Accreditation Agency (TÜRKAK) — accreditation scope search: turkak.org.tr
• NATO Standardization Office — AQAP 2110 and AQAP 2310 Allied Quality Assurance Publications

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