Turkey launches project for its first long range air defense system ‘Siper’

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Oct. 31 announced Turkey has kicked off work for its first long range air defense system and named the project “Siper.” 

“I wish luck to our long range regional air missile defense system, which we have named ‘Siper,’” said Erdoğan speaking at the inauguration for “National Technology Development Infrastructures” at TÜBİTAK SAGE, where some new local defense systems of the country were demonstrated.

“The first delivery is expected for the end of 2021,” he said about the joint project by TÜBİTAK SAGE, ASELSAN and ROKETSAN.

This system is crucial for Turkey’s defense and they are taking a new step with this project that will upgrade Turkey in the league of defense systems, the president said.

Turkish defense electronics company ASELSAN said on Jan. 16 it had signed the TÜBİTAK SAGE business partnership along with ROKETSAN, an accord for a national long-range defense system project for the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM).

It said in a statement to the Istanbul Stock Exchange that ASELSAN’s share under the agreement was 869 million Turkish Liras ($227 million) and 279.3 million euros ($342 million) and that the deliveries would be completed in 2021.

Meanwhile, Turkey has awarded Eurosam, ASELSAN and ROKETSAN a contract of the definition study of the future Turkish long-range air and missile defense system. The contract award was made during a meeting between Erdoğan and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Jan. 5.

Scheduled to last 18 months, the definition study aims at preparing the development and production contract for the future system meeting the operational requirements of the Turkish Air Force, according to a follow-up press release.

Turkey also purchases S-400 surface-to-air missiles from Russia. The installation of the S-400 missile system would begin in October 2019, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said last week.