The Turkish arms company has successfully tested its Göksur sea-based missile defense system for the first time. The test was carried out off the coast of Sinop in northern Turkey from the ship “TCG Beykoz” in mid-February. In future, the Göksur Vertical Launch System (VLS) is to form part of the Turkish “Steel Dome” air defense system, which will also be used to protect the naval forces against threats from anti-ship missiles and cruise missiles, armed and unarmed aircraft, fighter jets and helicopters.
Göksur was developed by Aselsan in collaboration with Tübitak Sage to meet the needs of the Turkish Navy. The Göksur IIR missile impressed during the test with its performance and bidirectional data transmission. The modular design makes it easy to adapt to different frigates and corvettes.
The system has several configurations, including Göksur 100-N VLS, Göksur 100-N/StA (turret with stand-alone capability) and Göksur 100-N, the new 20-missile configuration equipped with the Göksur IIR missile. These different configurations will increase the operational readiness and versatility of the Turkish naval forces.
Other features of the maritime missile defense system include 360-degree threat elimination, next-generation infrared seeker-guided munitions, high effectiveness against low-flying threats, multiple engagement capability and an AI-assisted fire control system. In addition, the system’s datalink capabilities provide uplink and downlink intermediate course guidance.
