A significant corporate rebranding has thrust a Turkish defense manufacturer’s American operations into the center of international controversy. Repkon USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Turkish arms firm Repkon, has abruptly changed its name to Paligen Technologies, Inc., following revelations of its role as a principal contractor in U.S. munitions sales to Israel.
The subsidiary, established in late 2024 with great fanfare from Ankara, found itself at the center of a political firestorm when the U.S. State Department recently approved an emergency $151.8 million sale of 12,000 BLU-110A/B general-purpose bomb bodies to Israel. These munitions have been extensively deployed in Israel’s military operations in Gaza, which multiple human rights organizations and a UN commission have described as constituting genocidal acts.
The announcement triggered immediate backlash across Turkish social media and prompted protests outside Repkon’s Istanbul headquarters, where demonstrators accused the company of complicity in what they termed ‘murderous’ U.S.-Israeli operations. Turkish opposition parliamentarians filed official inquiries demanding to know whether the government had approved or coordinated with Repkon’s March 2025 acquisition of General Dynamics-Ordnance and Tactical Systems’ Garland Operations—the facility that produces the bomb bodies destined for Israel.
While the Turkish government has maintained official silence on the matter, the absence of supportive statements suggests significant diplomatic discomfort. The controversy presents a complex dilemma: celebrating a private company that excelled in arms production aligned with national defense ambitions, while grappling with its involvement in sales to Israel amid ongoing regional tensions.
Repkon’s parent company in Turkey moved quickly to distance itself, issuing an official statement denying responsibility or decision-making authority over the transactions. Company officials explained that business decisions are made autonomously by the U.S. subsidiary, whose management consists almost entirely of U.S. citizens. They emphasized that the sale was conducted with the U.S. military as the official end user, not directly with Israel.
Further complicating the picture, defense industry experts noted that U.S. anti-boycott laws prohibit American companies from refusing sales to Israel, and rejecting U.S. government contracts under the Foreign Military Sales system would likely have severe business consequences. ‘A US company that refuses a US government sale won’t stay in business long,’ one anonymous defense expert commented.
Additional documentation revealed that Repkon USA, along with Boeing, had been named as sole contractors in a separate $675.7 million munitions and guidance kit sale to Israel announced in February 2025, indicating deeper involvement in the supply chain than initially disclosed.