Turkey successfully test fires locally developed short-range ballistic missile

Europe, Middle East, News October 23, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Turkiye has successfully tested its indigenously developed short-range ballistic missile over the Black Sea. The missile is being dubbed Tayfun and has a range of at least 560 kilometers.

The missile has been developed by Turkish defense manufacturer Roketsan. It was launched from a mobile platform at an airport in the Black Sea coastal city of Rize. The missile flew for about 561 kilometers before falling into the waters of the black sea.

The test was conducted on October 18, 2022, however, it was not until October 21, that some details about the test were made public along with a short video that showed the missile being fired from a mobile platform.

Not many details have been released about the capabilities of the newly tested ballistic missile, however, based on the initial analysis and structural outlook, Tayfun looks very similar to another Turkish-made tactical ballistic missile called Bora, which is also developed by Roketsan. Tayfun marked the longest range for any of Turkey’s domestically produced ballistic missiles.

Turkiye has been actively working on its defense production capabilities and it has seen substantially successful results in recent times. Turkish-made attack drones have been in the spotlight during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war eastern European countries have opted to buy them for their cheaper price tag and efficient results.

Turkiye also plans to upgrade its missile development capability as many of its defense manufacturing companies have reportedly been working on several secretive ballistic missile projects to be used locally and exported. Just like Bora’s export version Khan, it is expected that Tayfun would also have an export version which could be unveiled soon.

*^{Turkish defense firm Roketsan-made Bora tactical ballistic missile. (Image Credit: Roketsan)}*

The Tayfun ballistic missile test alarmed Turkey’s rival neighbor Greece. Despite being fellow NATO member states, the two countries have been experiencing growing tensions over the historically disputed territorial claims over the Aegean islands. The Greek press took notice of the launch and termed it a “concerning act” for Turkey’s neighboring countries.

The U.S. has also been keeping a close eye on Turkiye’s increasing defense production capabilities, especially after Turkey acquired the Russian S-400 missile defense system in 2017. The deal leads to a longstanding contention between the U.S. and Turkiye.

In response to Turkiye’s decision to get the Russian S-400 systems, the U.S. expelled its NATO ally Turkiye from the F-35 fighter jet development program, where Turkiye was expected to be a major buyer and manufacturer. U.S. reasoned that Russia could use its S-400 systems to covertly obtain classified details about the F-35 jets. Since then, Turkey has been working on enhancing its own defense industry