Türkiye’s long-range regional air and missile defence system SİPER Product-2 has demonstrated an in-flight retargeting capability for the first time. In the live-fire test announced on 25 October 2026, the missile was initially directed toward one target. After launch, its target information was updated and the system destroyed the newly assigned target. The result was announced by Presidency of Defence Industries President Haluk Görgün and project partners ASELSAN and ROKETSAN.
What the test covered
According to information released by ASELSAN, the event examined more than the final intercept. The test included engagement of the initial target, reassignment of the missile to a second target after launch, mid-course guidance and terminal guidance. The company also said the system executed engagement capabilities against targets flying close to the sea surface.
ROKETSAN said SİPER Product-2 successfully displayed its ability to change targets during flight for the first time. Corporate statements carried by Anadolu Agency and TRT Haber agree on the central sequence: the missile was fired toward an initially assigned target, received updated target data while airborne and destroyed the new target. The test location, the technical characteristics of the target and detailed performance data were not disclosed.
Flexibility in a changing threat picture
Updating a target after launch can give an air-defence network more flexibility when the threat picture changes. If the priority of one target falls or a newly detected threat becomes more urgent, the ability to redirect an interceptor that is already in flight can expand the available response options. Public information, however, is limited to the announced test outcome. No additional data have been released about the limits of the capability under operational conditions.
Görgün said the new capability strengthens the long-range layer of Türkiye’s integrated air-defence architecture, known as Steel Dome, and improves reaction capacity against changing threats. This is the assessment of the official programme authority; no independent technical measurement of the test result has been made public.
A broad industrial partnership
The SİPER programme is managed under the coordination of the Presidency of Defence Industries and developed jointly by ASELSAN, ROKETSAN and TÜBİTAK SAGE. Görgün said about 1,000 subcontractors contribute to the programme. ASELSAN participates through system integration, radar and command-and-control work, while ROKETSAN and TÜBİTAK SAGE have roles in missile development. The latest announcements indicate that this industrial partnership has reached another development milestone.
SİPER is described as a long-range regional air and missile defence system intended to protect forces and strategic or economic facilities against airborne threats. The latest trial differs from previously announced intercept successes because it focused on changing the engagement target after launch. That distinction matters: the new milestone concerns updating the missile’s mission data while it is airborne, rather than only intercepting a manoeuvring target.
What comes next?
The programme partners said the test was completed successfully, but they did not provide an inventory timetable, explain whether the result changes serial-production plans or announce a date for operational use of the new capability. The event should therefore be treated as a verified development and test milestone, without extending the claim to undisclosed schedules or performance figures.
The statements released on 25 October show that SİPER Product-2 can respond to a revised target assignment during flight. Further official announcements will be needed to establish how this capability progresses through later technical and operational stages.
