Gökdoğan missile -new success of Turkish defence industry PHOTO/VIDEO

Türkiye has successfully launched a Gökdoğan air-to-air missile from an F-16.

One of the best news recently has been the successful launch of a Gökdoğan missile from an F-16, according to TRT Haber. 

It is no secret that Türkiye is closely connected with the United States in this area. But this dependency ends with the Gökdoğan and Bozdoğan missiles.

Ankara expects to become one of the 4-5 countries in the world producing air-to-air missiles.

According to the statement, a test firing of the domestic Gökdoğan air-to-air missile with a radar homing head was successfully carried out.

The F-16s mainly use two different air-to-air missiles and both are produced in the United States. The first missile is the AIM-9 Sidewinder, with an infrared guidance head, used when the target is within sight of the fighter pilot.

The second missile, AIM-120 AMRAAM, is used in conditions beyond visibility and has a radar homing head. In other words, without seeing the enemy, the pilot can successfully destroy the target.

Gökdoğan is one of two missiles developed under the GÖKTUĞ project and it is an analogue of the American AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, and BOZDOĞAN - AIM-9 Sidewinder.

Both will be put into operation at the end of this year.

Anil Sahin, an expert on the Turkish military-industrial complex, said that from time to time there are difficulties in the supply of these missiles, as well as other American-made systems:

“Air-to-air missiles cost over $1 million each. And usually, their sale is carried out with the consent of the US Congress. Therefore, domestic production of these missiles is vital to ensure that Turkish airspace remains "Turkish airspace". On the other hand, in the future, Turkish missiles will be cheaper compared to their US counterparts, and their export potential is another advantage.

Ground tests of Gökdoğan and Bozdoğan missiles and firing from F-16s were successful. Both facilities should be put into operation before the end of this year. Let me share some very important information here… Bozdoğan outperforms its AIM-9X counterpart in many ways.”

Anil Sahin also noted that Türkiye’s advancement in air-to-air missiles will be associated with the Gökhan missile.

Development of the Gökhan, which will use the RamJet propulsion system, is ongoing.

“If we succeed, we will be one of the 4-5 countries in the world producing air-to-air missiles,” concluded A. Shahin.

 1️⃣ GÖKDOĞAN görülmeyeni de vuracak!

GÖKTUĞ Projemiz kapsamında testleri süren milli hava-hava füzelerimizden #GÖKDOĞAN Görüş Ötesi Füzemiz, radar arayıcı başlıkla atışını gerçekleştirdi ve önemli bir aşama daha tamamlandı. 🎯

➡️ @SageTubitak pic.twitter.com/GXvM4LPV8a

— Ismail Demir (@IsmailDemirSSB) July 10, 2022