SOM Cruise Missile Explained: Which Aircraft Carry It, and What Is Its Range?

SOM is an autonomous, air-launched cruise missile. It flies low along a pre-planned terrain profile to its target, making radar detection difficult. A GPS/INS navigation suite combined with an imaging infrared (IIR) terminal seeker delivers high accuracy day and night and in electronic-warfare conditions.

SOM can be used against both land targets and ships. As Türkiye’s first national cruise missile, it is a key system that frees the country’s long-range precision-strike capability from external dependence.

SOM is not a single missile but a family diversified by mission and platform. This modularity lets one base design be adapted to many needs.

SOM has been integrated onto several Turkish Air Force aircraft, with variants in development for future platforms.

SOM’s development accelerated in the late 2000s, and the missile was first integrated onto F-4E/2020 Terminator aircraft, later adapted to the F-16. Türkiye’s defense authority announced on 26 October 2018 that SOM had entered serial production with Roketsan.

With serial production, SOM became a standard strike munition in the Turkish Air Force inventory. Production and integration continue with national means — a critical advantage for supply security.

The two most strategic members of the family are the variants developed for fifth-generation aircraft. SOM-J was designed in a more compact form with folding control surfaces and a booster to fit the F-35’s internal bay; the project, run jointly by TÜBİTAK SAGE and Roketsan, proceeded in coordination with Lockheed Martin on the F-35.

SOM-M is the newest member, developed to be launched from the internal station of the national fighter KAAN, enabling long-range precision strike while preserving KAAN’s low observability. Together, SOM-J and SOM-M will form the strike backbone of Türkiye’s future air power.

SOM is a versatile munition usable against both fixed land targets (command centers, air-defense sites, infrastructure) and ships. The SOM-C1/C2 variants in development aim to increase range and precision, especially in anti-ship roles.

Low-altitude flight, terrain following and a low radar cross-section let SOM stress the detection and interception range of modern air-defense systems. Its combat-proven status confirms the system’s effectiveness in the field.

SOM is designed and developed by TÜBİTAK SAGE (Türkiye’s Defence Research and Development Institute) and serially produced by Roketsan.

• Development: TÜBİTAK SAGE
• Serial production: Roketsan
• Guidance: INS/GPS + IIR terminal seeker (indigenous)
• Program: under the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB)

SOM gives Türkiye a long-range, precise, low-observable strike capability without external dependence. Unlike foreign cruise missiles that may require export permits, SOM is produced and used under national control.

With SOM-J and SOM-M, the family forms the national backbone of Türkiye’s air strike power across a platform range from the F-35 to KAAN — a capability critical for both deterrence and strategic independence.

The SOM family’s future is tied to deeper integration with national platforms. With SOM-M developed for KAAN, Türkiye is becoming one of the few countries able to produce both the fighter and its primary strike munition domestically. This integrated approach removes the usage and export restrictions a foreign supplier might impose and brings external dependence close to zero in a crisis.

SOM also carries export potential: it offers allied nations a long-range, precise and relatively cost-effective cruise-missile option. As Roketsan’s serial-production capacity grows, SOM’s share of the inventory and its international visibility are expected to rise, further strengthening the Turkish defense industry’s position in the missile segment.

Türkiye’s defense authority announced on 26 October 2018 that SOM had entered serial production with Roketsan.

SOM’s range exceeds 250 km; total weight is about 600 kg with a roughly 230 kg warhead.

It is used on the F-4E/2020 and F-16; SOM-J is being developed for the F-35 and SOM-M for KAAN.

SOM-J is a compact variant designed with folding control surfaces and a booster to fit the F-35’s internal weapons bay.

Yes; the SOM-C1/C2 variants in development are anti-ship capable, and SOM is also used against fixed land targets.

SOM was developed by TÜBİTAK SAGE and is serially produced by Roketsan.