SİPER: Türkiye’s Long-Range Air and Missile Defense System — Specs, Turkish Service and Exports Explained
SİPER, Türkiye’s first indigenous long-range area air and missile defense system, has moved from development into series production and operational service. Developed by ASELSAN, ROKETSAN and the state research institute TÜBİTAK SAGE under the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), the system forms the upper tier of the country’s layered “Steel Dome” architecture, with the first battery delivered in August 2025.
| Developers | ASELSAN (radars, fire control, C2), ROKETSAN (missiles), TÜBİTAK SAGE (R&D) |
| Operator | Turkish Air Force |
| Program | SSB program launched 2018; series production contract December 2023 |
| Status | First battery delivered August 2025; deliveries through 2029 |
| Local content | No official figure; missile, radars and C2 are domestic |
| Range | SİPER 1: 70+ km; SİPER 2: 150+ km (manufacturer data) |
What Is SİPER?
SİPER is designed to defend strategic sites and wide areas against fighters, helicopters, cruise missiles, air-to-ground munitions and large unmanned aircraft. The architecture is distributed: a fleet (regional) level with a control center and a long-range search radar, and battery level elements comprising a fire control center, fire control radar, launchers carrying six missiles each, transloader vehicles, communications and simulators.
ASELSAN says its ALP 310, an S-band radar with an active electronically scanned array and digital beamforming, was developed specifically for SİPER’s long-range search role. The system can exchange data over Link 16 and JREAP, allowing it to work with Turkish Air Force, Army and Navy command-and-control nodes and, by extension, with NATO networks.
Technical Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum intercept range | SİPER 1: 70+ km / SİPER 2: 150+ km |
| Intercept altitude | SİPER 1: 20 km / SİPER 2: 30 km |
| Azimuth coverage | 360 degrees |
| Launch mode | SİPER 1: inclined / SİPER 2: vertical and inclined |
| Targets tracked | 100 |
| Targets engaged per battery | 10 |
| Missiles guided per battery | 20 |
| Missiles per launcher | 6 |
| Terminal guidance | Active radar seeker |
The figures come from ASELSAN’s May 2025 product sheet. The widely quoted 150 km range and 30 km ceiling belong to the SİPER 2 interceptor; the SİPER 1 missile now in service is listed at more than 70 km and 20 km, although earlier official statements and press coverage described Block 1 as a 100+ km weapon. The interceptors use two-way data links with the fire control system and an active radar seeker for the terminal phase.
Who Builds It and Program History
SSB launched the program in 2018. ASELSAN is responsible for the sensors, fire control and command-and-control segment, ROKETSAN designs and produces the missiles, and TÜBİTAK SAGE contributes guidance research, flight testing and next-generation missile development. On 17 December 2023 SSB signed the series production contracts for SİPER and HİSAR; ASELSAN’s share alone was about 428.5 million euros plus 4.88 billion Turkish lira, with missile production running from 2025 to 2029.
The family keeps growing. In May 2026 SSB President Haluk Görgün announced SİPER-A, an interceptor aimed at the ballistic missile defense layer of Steel Dome, underlining that SİPER is conceived as an evolving family rather than a single missile.
Turkish Service and Deliveries
On 27 August 2025 ASELSAN handed over a 47-vehicle Steel Dome package worth more than 460 million dollars. It included one SİPER system with ten associated vehicles, alongside HİSAR and KORKUT systems. In December 2025 a series-production SİPER-1 battery completed its acceptance firing at the Sinop test range against a maneuvering target, and in early January 2026 SSB announced that an additional system had entered service and been networked into Steel Dome. Battery totals are not disclosed.
Exports
There is no publicly confirmed export contract for SİPER. ROKETSAN signed a medium- and long-range layered air defense agreement with Indonesia at Indo Defence 2022, and some reporting links the long-range component to SİPER, but the company has not released details. With the system now fielded at home, it gives Turkish industry a credible long-range offer in markets that want an alternative to U.S., European or Russian suppliers.
Trade Show Appearances
ROKETSAN displayed the SİPER missile for the first time at IDEF 2023 in Istanbul, together with the MİDLAS national vertical launch system that is designed to carry SİPER Block 1 on warships. SİPER has since featured among the Steel Dome elements highlighted at IDEF 2025 and SAHA 2026.
Local Content and Key Subsystems
No official local content percentage has been published. The critical building blocks, however, are Turkish: the airframe, solid rocket motor and warhead from ROKETSAN; the ALP 310 search radar, fire control radar and command software from ASELSAN; and guidance research from TÜBİTAK SAGE. The active radar seeker in particular is a capability few countries field domestically.
Global Counterparts
SİPER sits in the same class as the U.S. Patriot, the Franco-Italian SAMP/T, Israel’s David’s Sling and Russia’s S-300/S-400 family. Those systems draw on decades of legacy; SİPER went from program launch to a fielded battery in roughly seven years, and it combines sovereign control with NATO-standard interoperability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SİPER’s range?
ASELSAN lists more than 70 km for SİPER 1 and more than 150 km for SİPER 2, with intercept altitudes of 20 km and 30 km respectively.
Who makes SİPER?
ASELSAN, ROKETSAN and TÜBİTAK SAGE, under SSB coordination.
Is SİPER operational?
Yes. The first system was delivered in August 2025 and an additional system entered service in January 2026.
Has SİPER been exported?
No confirmed export contract has been made public.
Featured photo: ASELSAN
Sources
- ASELSAN – SİPER 1, SİPER 2 ürün sayfası
- ASELSAN – SİPER broşürü (PDF)
- DefenceTurk – SİPER ve HİSAR seri üretim sözleşmesi
- DefenceTurk – Çelik Kubbe’de dev teslimat
- Army Recognition – SİPER-1 Çelik Kubbe ağına entegre edildi
- Türkiye Today – Ek SİPER teslimatı
- Anadolu Ajansı – Roketsan IDEF’23 ürünleri
- Defence Turkey – Murat İkinci: SİPER Blok-2 150 km
- Wikipedia – SİPER
