Long-Range Air & Missile Defense System

The SIPER (formerly known as the Turkish Long-Range Air and Missile Defense System) is Turkey's indigenous answer to the S-400 and Patriot systems. Developed by ASELSAN and Roketsan, SIPER Block 1 features a radar capable of detecting targets at 500-600 km range, with missile intercept ranges exceeding 100 km. Mass production commenced in September 2025, with delivery to the Turkish Armed Forces between 2025 and 2029. The system was successfully test-fired from the indigenous MIDLAS vertical launch system aboard a naval vessel.

The SIPER program was catalyzed by Turkey's S-400 procurement crisis — when the US expelled Turkey from the F-35 program over the Russian purchase, it became clear that air defense sovereignty was essential. SIPER eliminates the political liabilities of relying on either Russian or American systems, giving Turkey a domestically controlled layered air defense architecture combined with HISAR short and medium-range systems.

By fielding SIPER, Turkey joins an exclusive club alongside the US, Russia, China, France, Israel, and India as nations capable of producing long-range air defense systems. This capability carries enormous export potential and fundamentally changes Turkey's negotiating position within NATO — it can now contribute air defense capability without dependency on allied approval for technology access.