11.03.2025 08:11
Europe has turned its attention to Turkey's defense system SİPER following U.S. President Donald Trump's statements and the failure of the SAMP/T air defense system in Ukraine. Borsari, a permanent researcher at the European Policy Analysis Center, stated, "Turkey's long-range SİPER system may attract interest as a more economical alternative to expensive Western systems."
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The air defense system SAMP/T of Italy and France failed in Ukraine, turning the attention to the Turkish missile SİPER. European experts have pointed to SİPER as an alternative instead of SAMP/T.
THEY FAILED IN UKRAINE
According to a report in Akşam Newspaper, despite Turkey's persistent requests, the French-Italian joint venture SAMP/T air defense systems, which have not received approval for sale, have failed in Ukraine. The American Wall Street Journal reported that the systems deployed in Ukraine after the war began faced 'serious operational issues.' The newspaper stated that SAMP/T failed to intercept Russia's advanced ballistic missiles, commenting, "The low performance of SAMP/T has raised doubts about its reliability in high-intensity warfare."
ATTENTION TURNED TO SİPER
After the failure of SAMP/T in Ukraine, attention turned to the Turkish defense system SİPER in Europe. Federico Borsari, a permanent researcher at the European Policy Analysis Center and a NATO2030 fellow, who previously stated, "Turkish defense companies are leading a silent revolution," advised European countries: "While European countries aim to renew their air defenses, Turkey's long-range SİPER system may attract interest as a more economical alternative to expensive Western systems like Eurosam SAMP/T or Patriot."
Turkey developed the domestic and national SİPER Air Defense System after the failure to meet the demands for both Patriot and SAMP/T. SİPER-1, a product of a project jointly carried out by ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, and TÜBİTAK SAGE, was included in the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) at the end of 2024 after successful tests. The system can destroy threats such as fighter jets, UAVs, helicopters, cruise missiles, and air-to-ground munitions with a range of over 100 km. Additionally, work on the more advanced SİPER-2 is ongoing.
THEY DID NOT INCLUDE TURKEY IN THE PROJECT
On January 5, 2018, a contract for the "Long-Range Air and Missile Defense System (LORAMIDS) Definition Study" was signed between ASELSAN, EUROSAM, and Roketsan. The contract aimed for Turkey, France, and Italy to jointly develop the system. However, France and Italy signed a contract for the development of Eurosam-SAMP/T in March 2021, excluding Turkey from the project.
GÖKBERK READY FOR DRONE ATTACKS
Every day, new developments are taking place in the domestic and national defense industry. The Gökberk mobile laser weapon system, developed by Aselsan and set to operate within the Steel Dome system, successfully destroyed FPV drones. Gökberk stands out as a close-range air defense weapon system that can eliminate threats such as mini/micro UAVs and IEDs. Gökberk has previously proven its effectiveness against rotary-wing and fixed-wing kamikaze UAVs.
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır stated in a social media post regarding the issue, "This time there is no missile, there is a laser. Our product and technology capabilities in the defense industry are developing and enriching. The National Laser Weapon System Gökberk will add strength to the Steel Dome." Haluk Görgün, President of the Presidency of Defense Industries, also noted that with the power of national engineering, they have added the highest technology systems to the national air defense architecture, Steel Dome, stating, "Our Gökberk, with its domestic laser source and subsystems, provides target detection/tracking with radar and electro-optics, enabling the destruction of mini-micro UAVs with minimum power and maximum efficiency without the need for reloading. Gökberk, which has a modular platform design with an increaseable power level, is ready to change the game in the field." Gökberk was also developed domestically in cooperation with TÜBİTAK BİLGEM.
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