Türkiye has successfully conducted another test launch within its indigenous ballistic missile program. The President of the Defence Industry Agency (SSB), Haluk Görgün, announced the achievement on his social media account, stating: “With determined steps, the range is increasing and strike accuracy is improving.”
The launch took place at 12:37 p.m. at Rize-Artvin Airport, located along the Black Sea coast, under strict security measures. The missile flew as planned and the test was declared successful.
Earlier flight tests on 18 October 2022 and 23 May 2023 revealed that the TAYFUN short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) had achieved a range of approximately 561 km, according to international defence sources. Türkiye initiated preparations for serial production in mid-2023.
ROKETSAN officially classifies TAYFUN as an SRBM, with technical documentation highlighting MTCR-compliant figures of “>280 km” to meet export-control limitations. However, politically stated ambitions — including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s remarks — have pointed to a range objective approaching 1000 km.
Hypersonic Version Revealed at IDEF 2025
A more advanced variant, TAYFUN Block-4, was showcased publicly for the first time during the International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF 2025) in July.
Key capabilities claimed for Block-4 include:
- Mach 5+ hypersonic speeds
- ~10 m length, 7.2-ton launch weight
- Enhanced lethality against high-value strategic targets
The configuration is assessed to be optimized to penetrate and defeat modern ballistic missile defence systems. ROKETSAN has not yet released detailed hypersonic performance data.
Strategic Role for Türkiye’s A2/AD Posture
Defence analysts state that the TAYFUN program directly supports Türkiye’s Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2/AD) strategy across the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, and Black Sea operational environments.
Primary target sets include:
- Air bases
- Command-and-control nodes
- Long-range air defence systems
- Critical military logistics hubs
According to Ankara, TAYFUN is being developed solely for the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), with no export plans under consideration.
