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SİPER Will Enter Service in 2023

The first controlled firing test with the SİPER (formerly HİSAR-U, meaning SHIELD in English) National Long-Range Air Defense Missile System was carried out on November 5, 2021, at the Sinop Missile Test Range located in northern Sinop province. The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Project was published in 2016, and a contract was signed between Aselsan, Roketsan, and TÜBİTAK Sage Business Partnership and the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) on January 15, 2018. At that time, it was announced that it would enter service in 2021-2022. The firing test aimed to demonstrate the missile`s maneuverability and to see whether the missile could be successfully directed or not was not conducted against a target. With this test, an important milestone was passed regarding capability demonstration in the Project.

Date: Issue 111 - December 2021

Announced by the President of Defense Industries Prof.İsmail DEMİR on November 6, previously determined maneuvers were performed during the test with the Controlled Test Missile (CTM) version of the SİPER Block-I missile. The CTM is not equipped with a live seeker or the Thrust Vector Control (TVC) in the tail section but features an auto-pilot control capability.

Following the test, President of Defense Industries Prof. İsmail DEMİR shared the following statements on his social media account on November 6: "We have successfully completed one more phase in the development of the SİPER Long-Range and Multi-Layered National Air Defense System. Planned to enter service in 2023, SİPER will eliminate all threats against our homeland." On the other hand, in a previous statement, Prof. İsmail DEMİR said they would develop an intermediate product with an effective range of up to 100 kilometers and an altitude of over 20 kilometers before the SİPER Air Defense System. Stating that SİPER will follow this missile, Prof. DEMİR said that SİPER will become operational in 2023. In a statement to the Anadolu Agency on November 23, 2021, SSB Prof. DEMİR shared the following information about the delivery schedules and test activities of the Turkish Air Defense System projects. "We will start the delivery of HİSAR O+ Air Defense Systems. We may see a new test with SİPER before the end of this year." The SİPER Block-I CTM version or the Guided Test Missile (GTM) version with a dual-pulse rocket motor and TVC capability can be used in the new firing test.The SİPER will allow Area Air Defense of Strategic Facilities against enemy attacks at Long Range and in distributed architecture. It is planned to use more than one type of missiles with different range and intercept altitude capabilities in the long-range and multi-layered national air defense system SİPER, which is expected to be actively used in the field as of 2023. The SİPER Block-I Missile is effective against air-breathing targets at a range of 70+km and up to an altitude of 20+km, and its range is expected to increase to 100+km (SİPER Block-II) by 2023. Subsequently, the development process of new models that can be effective against both air-breathing targets and ballistic missiles up to a range of 150 km (SİPER Block-III) will be completed and become operational. Therefore, SİPER missiles in different configurations will enter service with the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) in 2023 and beyond.