Advanced Air Defense Systems: HİSAR to SİPER
Ahmet Alemdar
The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) are taking strides to meet the country’s various defense needs through locally-produced and national projects. During the Syrian civil war and its aftermath, one of Turkey’s major procurement agendas has been air defense missile systems. Despite efforts to fulfill this need through foreign procurement projects, the desired results have not been achieved. However, the Turkish defense industry has acquired various solutions and capabilities over the years, which have been brought to the Turkish Armed Forces.
The Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) initiated a project, meeting the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces, which led to the Serial Production Contracts Signing Ceremony for SİPER Product 1 and HİSAR Projects in December 2023. Notably, the contract volume exceeded 18 billion TL, and the delivery schedule caught the public’s attention.
With industry effort and willpower, various missiles from HİSAR A+ to SİPER Product-2, and various guidances from IIR warhead to RF warhead have been developed. Notably, projects such as HİSAR-D RF / SAPAN and MİDLAS have been developed to entrust the air defense of naval platforms to local and national solutions.
The Layered Air Defense from HİSAR to SİPER has been discussed in the 18th issue of Defense Turk Magazine. The entire study can be accessed by clicking here.
Additionally, open sources have revealed that a contract and contract amendment totaling approximately 18.5 billion TL were signed between ASELSAN and SSB for the mass production of air defense systems. The Long Range Regional Air and Missile Defense System SİPER Product-1 will be delivered between 2025 and 2029, and HİSAR deliveries, contract changes, and additional systems will be completed within the same timeframe.
It has been confirmed that the Air Forces Command (HvKK) has been included in the HİSAR Mass Production Project as the user authority, and the system’s deliveries and acceptance activities are expected to be completed by 2028.
In summary, Turkey’s defense industry has made significant progress in developing air defense systems to meet the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces. With locally-produced and national projects, the country is on its way to achieving its desired defense objectives.
