11.12.2025 23:15
The Minister of Industry and Technology, Mehmet Fatih Kacır, announced that the domestically developed MİHAL target detector has been successfully used in the GÖKDOĞAN missile launched from the Bayraktar KIZILELMA. MİHAL detects threat elements with high precision in air defense systems.
The technical details of the indigenous target seeker MİHAL, which was launched from the Bayraktar KIZILELMA and is used in the GÖKDOĞAN beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, have emerged for the first time. Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır emphasized during his 2026 budget presentation at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey that MİHAL was developed entirely with domestic capabilities.
Within the scope of the MİHAL Project, the laser target seeker, which was procured from abroad during the GÖKTUĞ Project process, was nationalized with the expertise of TÜBİTAK SAGE in optical, opto-mechanical, electronic design, and signal processing.
ACTIVE IN BOZDOĞAN AND GÖKDOĞAN
The national target seeker MİHAL is actively used in the BOZDOĞAN and GÖKDOĞAN missiles. Especially in the GÖKDOĞAN munitions launched from KIZILELMA, it played a critical role in the first-ever beyond-visual-range missile engagement conducted from an unmanned combat aircraft.
"THEY DID NOT PROVIDE FROM ABROAD, WE PRODUCED ONE"
Minister Kacır reminded that KIZILELMA detects the target with the ASELSAN-produced MURAD AESA radar, and then the GÖKDOĞAN missile developed by TÜBİTAK SAGE hits the jet target aircraft with full accuracy, stating, "In this mission, we produced the aircraft, we produced the radar, we produced the missile. We also produced the laser sensor-equipped target seeker mounted on the missile. They did not provide from abroad; we developed a better one nationally."
A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF AIR DEFENSE
Target seekers support effective intervention decisions by accurately identifying nearby threats in air defense systems. These sensors reduce the system's reaction time, increase strike accuracy, and play a vital role in reliably neutralizing the target, especially in the terminal phase.
These subsystems, also known as "convergence plugs," maximize the effectiveness of munitions by ensuring that the warhead is fired at the most appropriate moment, even if there is no direct collision with the target at a distance of 0–10 meters.
"WE WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE BETTER THAN WHAT IS WITHHELD FROM US"
Kacır emphasized Turkey's capability to nationalize platform, radar, missile, and core defense technologies in his presentation, conveying the following message:
"Whoever withholds anything, let them know that we are making a better version of it. We will continuously advance in domestic and national defense technologies."