The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) continues its modernization efforts with domestic and national defense industry products without slowing down. At the weekly press briefing organized by the Ministry of National Defense on April 24, 2025, it was shared with the public that new generation defense systems were delivered to the Land Forces Command.
According to the official statement made by the Ministry of National Defense sources, domestic and national defense industry products developed in line with the aim of increasing Türkiye's power and effectiveness in the national and international arena are taking the possibilities and capabilities of the TAF even further each passing day. In this context, it was stated that the inspection and acceptance activities of various amounts of SUNGUR Air Defense Missiles in line with the needs of the Land Forces Command were successfully completed and the systems were taken into the TAF inventory.
SUNGUR Air Defense System: A Strong Shield in the Field
SUNGUR Air Defense System is a high-tech air defense missile system designed to meet the short-range air defense needs of mobile or fixed units and critical facilities in the modern battlefield and rear area. One of the most important features of SUNGUR is its flexible design that can adapt to different platform integrations.
Currently integrated onto a vehicle (configuration capable of carrying 4 missiles together with the EO/IR system on the BMC Vuran armored vehicle) and available in configurations that can be carried by a single soldier, SUNGUR’s areas of use are expanding. In addition to land-based use, intensive work is ongoing on the integration of SUNGUR missiles into Bayraktar TB2 SIHA and AKINCI TİHA, which are important platforms of the Turkish defense industry. With the completion of this integration, unmanned aerial vehicles will also be able to play an active role in air defense missions.
Superior Features That Set SUNGUR Apart from Its Competitors
The 8.5-kilometer air defense missile used in the SUNGUR Air Defense System stands out as the most critical feature that distinguishes the system from its counterparts. The missile system's Imaging Infrared Seeker (IIR) technology locks on the target with high precision, significantly increasing the probability of hitting. In addition, thanks to its partially penetrating titanium particle warhead, which has a higher impact compared to similar systems in the inventory, it also provides a superior advantage in the destruction of air targets.
SUNGUR’s advanced propulsion system, which allows it to be effective at longer ranges than its counterparts, and the use of a modern sight that allows the user to detect and view the target from a distance before firing are among other important technological features that increase the missile’s overall effectiveness and hit probability. These new systems, which have entered the Land Forces Command inventory, will significantly strengthen the Turkish army’s air defense capability.
