Turkish Competitor to Russian S-400 ‘Siper’ Hits Target 100km away

Turkey’s Siper air defense system, which is expected to rival Russia’s S-400, hit a target located more than 100km (62 miles) away.

Ismail Demir, head of Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), lauded the Siper test in a December 30 tweet.

The Siper project is led by Aselsan and Roketsan, as well as the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK).

Siper has the longest range in the series of air defense missiles Ankara has developed in recent years. Other systems Turkey built for this emergent layered national air defense include Hisar-A, Hisar-O and Hisar-U. The Sungur and Korkut systems, designed for engaging targets under 8km, also provide a short-range, low-altitude defense.

Ankara ultimately plans to export variants of its homegrown systems. In November, it signed a contract with Indonesia for the supply of Khan (export version of Bora-1 unveiled in 2017) short-range ballistic missiles and an unspecified layered air defense system – possibly tailor-made export variants of the Hisar and Siper.