Turkey to produce indigenous long-range air defense system.

Like more and more army equipment, Turkey will produce indigenous long-range air defense system, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on 31 October, as reported by the Daily Sabah publication.

Turkish HISAR-A short-range air defense system (Picture source: Army Recognition)

According to Erdogan, Turkey has begun efforts to manufacture a domestically-made long-range missile defense system dubbed the ‘Siper’. Erdogan told the participants at the inauguration ceremony of the National Technology Development Infrastructure at the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) that the first estimated delivery of the Siper is planned for 2021.

Turkey has already developed air defense missiles for low altitude Hisar-A and medium altitude Hisar-O. Hisar-A and Hisar-O are expected to be in service by 2020 and 2021 respectively.

In addition to possessing Siper in 2021, the Turkish army will also have the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, which is scheduled to arrive in 2019, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said last week.