A missile developed under Türkiye’s Steel Dome air-defense project successfully struck its target in a test launch, Defense Industries Agency (SSB) head Haluk Görgün said on Nov. 18.
In a statement shared on social media, Görgün said “another historic threshold has been successfully crossed” in the country’s long-range air-defense capabilities following the launch at a test site in the Black Sea province of Sinop.
The interceptor is part of the Siper system, developed jointly by defense firms Aselsan and Roketsan along with the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Institution (TÜBİTAK). The system is intended to shield military units, key infrastructure and major cities from high-altitude, long-range threats, including fighter jets, ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Türkiye launched the Steel Dome project in August 2024 and began initial field deployment this year. The program integrates domestically produced weapons, radars, electro-optical systems, communications equipment and command-and-control units.
“The result achieved today is one of the most concrete indicators of Türkiye's will and engineering might to build its own air defense sky shield,” Görgün wrote.
