 |
| Turkey ready to develop SIPER long-range air defense missile system |
International Military - Recently, Turkey has had success with the Bayraktar TB2 Drone, now it's their turn to expand into its domestic missile defense system. It is known, the country is already on the right track to develop its SIPER long-range air defense missile system. And the tests that were implemented were very successful.
Quoted from the Eurasian Times, Ismail Demir, head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) on the sidelines of Teknofest Azerbaijan said "All our tests were very successful. The message that these tests gave us is that we see with pleasure that our SIPER project is correct. -is really on track, going really well," he said.
Read Also: South Korea, A Country Caught Between Its Relationship With The US and China
Ismail Demir said that new trials would be held soon and tests on the SIPER project began. For more than two decades, Turkey's military procurement policy has emphasized co-production arrangements.
Meanwhile, technology transfer with US and European countries to wean Turkey off foreign-made weapons and platforms. This policy seems to be showing results. This is because the Turkish Defense Industry has started domestic defense production with advanced stealth fighters, combat drones and main battle tanks.
All of them are developed domestically to meet the requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces. The SIPER long-range air defense missile system project is led by Turkish defense giant Aselsan, Roketsan, and the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (SAGE) Defense Industry Research and Development Institute (TÜBITAK), which was awarded the contract by SSB in January 2018.
Read Also: Ukraine Ready To Get MQ-1C Gray Eagle Drone Which Is Superior Than Bayraktar TB2 Drone
The system is expected to enter service with the Turkish Armed Forces in 2023. Reported by Daily Sabah, SIPER is claimed to be formed to rival the Russian S-400. "In addition to the Siper, which is expected to rival Russia's S-400, Korkut, Sungur and Hisar air defense systems also exist, systems that are set to outline a layered air defense for the country, as officials have mentioned several times,".
SIPER was developed to protect strategic facilities from enemy attacks within the scope of regional air defense. Not only that, this long range air defense missile system will also enable long range air defense and in distributed architectural protection.
Read Also: Appears in Hits With Tom Cruise, F/A-18E Super Hornet Fighter Jet Revealed That Not Much Interest
On the other hand, SIPER will probably play a complementary role to the S-400. As previously stated, the maximum range of the Siper is approximately 150 km. Meanwhile, the S-400 can strike aerial targets at a range of up to 400 km and intercept ballistic missiles within a radius of 60 km.
The S-400 is also being battle tested now; during the ongoing Ukraine war, he shot down a Ukrainian Mi-8 Helicopter and a Ukrainian Su-27.