“Under the scope of the agreement we signed with Indonesia-based defence industry companies, we will jointly produce the ATMACA anti-ship missile, cruise missiles, and a wide range of smart ammunition systems." -- ROKETSAN CEO Murat İkinci
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — In a bold affirmation of Türkiye’s growing influence in global arms exports, defence conglomerate ROKETSAN has signed a landmark agreement with Indonesia to jointly produce an array of advanced weapon systems, including anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles, and various forms of smart munitions, signalling a deeper strategic alignment between Ankara and Jakarta in the Indo-Pacific defence landscape.
The agreement, unveiled during the 2025 Antalya Diplomacy Forum, underscores Türkiye’s intent to broaden its defence-industrial footprint in Southeast Asia while simultaneously enabling Indonesia to build sovereign capabilities in high-precision missile technology.
Speaking at the forum, ROKETSAN CEO Murat İkinci confirmed that the cooperation will see the co-production of the ATMACA anti-ship missile, cruise missiles, and other advanced weapon systems in partnership with Indonesian defence firms.
“Under the scope of the agreement we signed with Indonesia-based defence industry companies, we will jointly produce the ATMACA anti-ship missile, cruise missiles, and a wide range of smart ammunition systems,” İkinci stated.
He stressed that the collaboration is not merely transactional, but transformational in nature, with clear objectives focused on building strategic self-reliance for Indonesia’s defence sector.
“Our priority goals include technology transfer, strengthening Indonesia’s defence industry infrastructure, and implementing comprehensive training programmes,” he added.
İkinci also disclosed a significant diplomatic development — a bilateral meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on the sidelines of the forum, which he described as pivotal to further enhancing Türkiye’s defence engagement in Southeast Asia.
ATMACA
“We had the opportunity to meet directly with President Subianto here in Antalya,” he said. “Enhancing the level of this cooperation is crucial for boosting our defence industry exports.”
The partnership framework includes structured plans for technology sharing, localised infrastructure development, and comprehensive capacity-building initiatives for Indonesian engineers and defence technicians, paving the way for long-term indigenous development.
“This cooperation provides an opportunity not only to expand Türkiye’s industrial capabilities, but also to help partner countries strengthen their own defence ecosystems,” İkinci remarked.
Only days earlier, in a separate diplomatic exchange, President Prabowo held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during which he publicly declared Indonesia’s intention to participate in Türkiye’s fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet program and its national submarine development initiative, reflecting Jakarta’s intensifying strategic tilt towards Turkish defence platforms.
“Indonesia wants to participate in the development of the KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet as well as in the submarine construction project with Türkiye’s defence industry,” President Prabowo was quoted as saying by ANTARA news agency, though further details remain under wraps.
Indonesia’s trust in Turkish defence technology is not new.
In 2024, Jakarta awarded a contract to its local company, PT Republik Defensindo, to acquire 45 ATMACA anti-ship missiles, marking it as the first international customer to operationally adopt the missile beyond Türkiye’s borders.
Following closely, Malaysia became the second Southeast Asian nation to adopt the system, selecting the ATMACA missile for its Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) Batch II fleet, currently being built by Turkish naval firm Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik (STM).
Technically, the ATMACA missile represents a formidable leap in maritime strike capability.
With a length of 4.3 to 5.2 metres, a weight of 750 kilograms, and a striking range of up to 250 kilometres, ATMACA vastly outperforms the U.S.-made Harpoon Block II, which maxes out at 130 kilometres, and even surpasses the French Exocet Block III, which reaches around 200 kilometres.
The missile is equipped with Inertial Navigation System (INS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance, and according to ROKETSAN, is capable of autonomous operation, boasts a low radar cross-section, and performs reliably in all-weather conditions, while being resilient against modern electronic countermeasures.
Further enhancing its operational flexibility, ATMACA supports 3D mission planning, mid-course target updates, and mission abort options through encrypted datalink connectivity — capabilities typically reserved for top-tier Western missile systems.
Despite having been under development for over a decade, ATMACA was only publicly unveiled in 2019, and by 2023, Türkiye declared its intent to phase out the U.S.-supplied Harpoon missiles on its naval platforms in favour of its indigenous system.
Prabowo and Erdogan during their recent meeting.
This strategic substitution aligns with Ankara’s broader doctrine of defence industrial autonomy, a goal driven by geopolitical necessity and technological ambition.
The Turkish Navy plans to retire over 350 aging Harpoon missiles and complete full-scale integration of ATMACA across its fleet by 2027, reinforcing its commitment to locally-produced weapons systems.
Turkish officials estimate that replacing the Harpoon with ATMACA will save the country over US$500 million (RM2.25 billion), with each ATMACA missile reportedly costing half as much as its American counterpart.
The increasing adoption of ATMACA across Southeast Asia not only signals growing confidence in Turkish missile technology, but also highlights Türkiye’s rising status as a competitive, high-impact arms exporter in a region marked by intensifying maritime competition and strategic recalibration.
