Initiated through research and development activities by ROKETSAN and advanced with support from the Defense Industry Agency (SSB), the ÇAKIR Cruise Missile reached the supply contract phase at a ceremony held at the Defense Industry Agency headquarters. The contract, signed by SSB President Haluk Görgün and ROKETSAN General Manager Murat İkinci, represents a significant milestone in bringing this domestically developed system into operational use by the Turkish Land Forces. The project contributes strategically to Turkey's capabilities in the cruise missile domain.

ROKETSAN stands as a pioneering institution within the Turkish defense industry ecosystem, possessing decades of experience in developing missile and rocket systems. Since its establishment, ROKETSAN has successfully delivered various guided munitions and missile platforms, demonstrating its engineering and production capabilities within the sector. The ÇAKIR project reflects this institution's research and development capacity and its collaboration with industrial partners. Throughout the project, the SSB's coordinating support and the Turkish Land Forces Command's operational inputs ensured the system was designed to meet actual operational requirements.

The ÇAKIR Cruise Missile is a multi-purpose guided munition system capable of surface-to-surface and air-to-surface employment. The missile is designed to engage both land and maritime targets and can be launched from the KARA ATMACA Weapon System, which will enter the Turkish Land Forces inventory. The use of indigenous and national technology in critical components such as the seeker head and turbojet engine strengthens the system's independent operation and maintenance-repair capabilities. The development of missile variants with different configurations increases operational flexibility across various combat scenarios.

The ÇAKIR project represents a critical development in Turkey's acquisition of independent cruise missile capability. Previous systems developed by ROKETSAN, such as the ATMACA anti-ship missile and the SOM cruise missile, laid the foundation for national missile technology. ÇAKIR, built upon this accumulated experience, serves as a next-generation platform that will complement the Turkish Land Forces' air defense and precision strike capabilities. The system is evaluated within an integrated defense architecture alongside other national systems such as the HISAR air defense missile family.

The project was realized through the participation of approximately 200 domestic firms and subcontractors. This broad mobilization of the industrial ecosystem increases Turkey's localization rate in defense technologies and strengthens engineering and production capabilities. Indigenous contributions in critical components such as the seeker head and turbojet engine directly support Turkey's technological independence. The signing of the supply contract demonstrates the completion of development and qualification phases and marks the system's entry into operational readiness processes.