Turkish firm turns shipping container into missile launcher

Defence affairs

Türkiye has unveiled a new weapons system that allows long-range rockets and ballistic missiles to be launched from standard shipping containers, a move that could provide a covert and highly mobile strike capability.

The system, developed by Turkish defense company Roketsan, was showcased this week at the IDEF 2025 international defense exhibition in Istanbul.

The launcher is designed to fire six Kara Atmaca (ATMACA-UM) missiles, which have a range exceeding 400 kilometers. The company said the system enables missiles to be transported discreetly and deployed from locations that would otherwise appear non-threatening.

The containerized launcher concept mirrors systems previously seen in the United States.

In Jun 2025, photos surfaced of a similar platform at Fort Bragg in North Carolina during a visit by President Trump. The U.S. Army’s system, reported by The War Zone at the time, was designed to fire artillery rockets and ballistic missiles from platforms indistinguishable from civilian cargo containers, offering a flexible strike capability that is harder for adversaries to detect.

Türkiye’s development of such a system reflects a growing trend in modern warfare to conceal powerful weaponry in plain sight. Military analysts point to Ukraine’s recent Operation Spiderweb, in which covert drone attacks demonstrated the value of hidden fires capabilities, even at lower technological tiers.

The Turkish Armed Forces have yet to confirm whether the new containerized launcher will enter active service, but Roketsan says the system is fully operational and ready for deployment.