SİPER Air Defence Weapon System, one of the most critical components of Türkiye's layered air defence architecture, ÇELİKKUBBE, achieved Full Operational Capability in a test conducted at the Sinop Firing Range on June 12, 2026. According to the Ministry of National Defence, SİPER 2 successfully destroyed the Süper Şimşek aerial target, which was executing a high-speed and manoeuvring target scenario. This success was recorded as the most critical milestone certifying that the system is now operationally ready.
SİPER 2: Longer Range, Higher Altitude
President of the Presidency of Defence Industries, Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, announced the test success on his social media account. Görgün stated, "The SİPER 2 long-range regional air and missile defence system, operating in a distributed architecture and playing a critical role at the strategic level, successfully destroyed a manoeuvring target."
According to information provided by Görgün, SİPER 2 will operate at a longer range and higher altitude compared to SİPER 1, playing an effective role in air and missile defence. Emphasising that they will continue to strengthen the effectiveness and deterrence of their air defence systems, which they consider a matter of national survival, with the most advanced capabilities, Görgün noted that serial production continues and they will keep reinforcing ÇELİKKUBBE with game-changing capabilities suitable for the modern battlefield.
Direct Hit Against a Manoeuvring Target
The most critical aspect of the test was that the target was the Süper Şimşek, executing a high-speed and manoeuvring scenario. Süper Şimşek is a high-performance aerial target system developed by TUSAŞ, capable of simulating enemy aircraft and missiles. The successful destruction of this highly manoeuvrable target proved SİPER 2's effectiveness against challenging scenarios in real combat conditions.
The Ministry of National Defence stated, "While our serial production continues, we will continue to strengthen ÇELİKKUBBE with game-changing capabilities suitable for the modern battlefield."
The Strategic Architecture of ÇELİKKUBBE
SİPER forms the top layer of Türkiye's multi-layered air defence architecture, ÇELİKKUBBE. The system offers a four-layered air defence umbrella: KORKUT (low altitude), HİSAR-A+ (medium-low altitude), HİSAR-O+ (medium altitude), and SİPER (high altitude-long range). SİPER 2's longer range and higher altitude capability compared to SİPER 1 expands the protection area of this umbrella.
Its ability to operate in a distributed architecture ensures that the system's radar, fire control, and launch units, positioned in different geographical locations, can operate in an integrated manner. This feature provides the system with high survivability and enables the protection of a wide area.
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