Türkiye has successfully carried out a live-fire test of its domestically developed GÖKSUR naval air defense system.
The test, conducted in Sinop on Türkiye’s northern Black Sea coast, demonstrated the GÖKSUR system’s operational effectiveness and technological maturity.
According to ASELSAN, the country’s leading defense company, the trial represented the first successful interception of a sea-skimming target by a missile designed and built entirely within Türkiye.
The GÖKSUR IIR missile, equipped with an advanced imaging infrared seeker, struck its target at a range of more than 11 kilometers. The missile was launched from ASELSAN’s indigenously developed GÖKSUR 100-N vertical launch system (VLS), highlighting the country’s growing proficiency in domestic missile launch technologies.
During the engagement, the missile was guided via ASELSAN’s GÜDÜ data link through its mid-course flight and autonomously acquired and tracked the target in its terminal phase, resulting in a direct hit and the complete destruction of the target.
Developed by ASELSAN with support from TÜBİTAK SAGE, the GÖKSUR family of air defense systems is designed to provide high-efficiency point defense for surface platforms. Its mission set includes protection against sea-skimming anti-ship and cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and combat aircraft — threats that pose increasing risks to modern naval forces.
The system’s capability to counter low-flying, high-speed threats over water is particularly critical, as sea-skimming missiles are designed to evade radar detection and overwhelm shipboard defenses. By integrating advanced seeker technology, autonomous targeting, and vertical launch capability, GÖKSUR aims to enhance the survivability of Turkish naval platforms and expand their layered defense architecture.
“This success not only strengthens our naval defense and deterrence but also underscores ASELSAN’s commitment to developing indigenous, game-changing systems that ensure the operational superiority of armed forces,” said ASELSAN President and CEO Ahmet Akyol. “With GÖKSUR, Türkiye has reached a new milestone in its naval defense capability.”
The successful live-fire event is the culmination of years of development aimed at creating a fully indigenous naval air defense solution. With the system now proven in a realistic operational scenario, ASELSAN and its partners are expected to move toward broader deployment across the Turkish Navy’s surface fleet, where GÖKSUR will serve as a key layer in multi-tiered defense networks.