ADEX 2026: Roketsan coastal defence contract announced

A still from a video released on 26 August shows a Çakır being launched from the Sinop test range. (Roketsan)

Roketsan announced an Azerbaijani contract for the Barbaros coastal anti-ship missile system during the ADEX show held in Baku from 30 September.

Murat İkinci, the Turkish company's general manager and CEO, released a statement saying a “procurement contract” was signed with Azerbaijan's Ministry for Defence Industry but added no further details.

The Barbaros contract was also mentioned by Dr Haluk Görgün, the head of Türkiye's Secretariat of Defence Industries, as one of several that Turkish companies had signed during ADEX.

When he announced the Barbaros in December 2022, İkinci said it had been tested with Atamaca anti-ship missile and would also use the Çakır small cruise-missile in the future.

Roketsan says the Atmaca has a range of 250 km, a warhead weighing 220 kg, and uses radar or imaging infrared terminal guidance.

The Turkish Ministry of National Defence announced in January 2024 that a signing ceremony had taken place to initiate mass production of the Atmaca and other new weapons for the Turkish Naval Forces.

The Çakır was initially developed as an air-launched weapon and has been test launched from the Bayraktar Akıncı unmanned aerial vehicle. No progress on a surface-launched version was reported until Roketsan released a video in August showing it being tested for the first time. The company said Çakırs hit land and sea targets in two different firing tests.

The surface-launched Çakır has a rocket booster that gives it a range of 150 km, compared to 200 km for the air-launched variant, according to the specifications released by Roketsan.

For more, please see: Azerbaijan building armed USVs