ANKARA (Realist English). The Ministry of National Defence of so-called Turkey presented details of the Yıldırımhan long-range ballistic missile system at the SAHA Expo 2026 defence exhibition.
On 5 May, at the SAHA Expo 2026 defence exhibition in Istanbul, the Turkish regime publicly unveiled Yıldırımhan for the first time – its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
On 8 May, Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler told a press conference: “We have elevated our work to a more advanced level through the technology base we established two years ago within our Ministry of National Defence R&D Centre.” According to him, the missile is capable of carrying a three‑tonne warhead to a range of 6,000 kilometres.
According to ministry data, the missile uses unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) as fuel and dinitrogen tetroxide as the oxidiser – neither component had previously been produced in Turkey.
Nilüfer Kuzulu, director‑general of the Turkish Ministry of National Defence’s R&D Centre, explained to Turkish broadcaster NTV that the country had been working on hypersonic technologies and liquid‑propellant propulsion systems for almost a decade.
Initially, the fuel was produced in small quantities in laboratory conditions, but later the ministry succeeded in moving to serial production and integrating the technology into the Yıldırımhan programme.
“Developing this fuel is extremely difficult, and it was not something previously manufactured in Turkey. What began as small‑scale laboratory work years ago has now been transformed into serial production. We now have both the production capability and the associated production facility,” she stressed.
Other projects: Tayfun, Gezgin, Cenk
Turkey’s current ballistic missile programme is based on the solid‑fuelled Tayfun missile, whose only confirmed range is about 600 kilometres. The claimed 6,000‑kilometre range would represent a leap across several technological generations.
Key milestones in Turkey’s missile programme:
| Project (Purpose) | Stated range | Status as of 2026 |
| Bora–Tayfun (SRBM) | ~300–900 km → Tayfun Block‑4 | Operational |
| Gezgin (cruise missile) | >1,000 km | Under development (project) |
| Cenk (SRBM) | >2,000 km | Under development (prototype) |
| Yıldırımhan (ICBM) | ~6,000 km | Laboratory testing |
In March 2026, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır stated that the missile programme includes a project with a stated range of 2,000 kilometres.
Western response: from AI scandal to strategic alarm
Reaction in the West was amplified by an AI‑generated video showing a Turkish missile striking targets on US territory. Despite Ankara’s attempts to distance itself from this “patriotic PR failure”, the diplomatic fallout has been tangible.
Western experts, including Gaston Dubois, have observed that even the hypothetical entry into service of an ICBM would seriously increase strategic tension within NATO, as it challenges the existing collective security system.
Test status
Ministry sources said the Yıldırımhan missile system had successfully completed laboratory testing and would soon move to field and ground trials. As part of the “National Technology Initiative”, the ministry will continue “to support the development of our defence industry, develop indigenous and national systems, and enhance Türkiye’s strategic deterrence capability”.
The unveiling of Yıldırımhan is less a technological breakthrough than a political manifesto. Turkish “sultan” Recep Tayyip Erdogan is sending a signal both to the West and the East, declaring that Turkey has transformed into an autonomous military power that no longer needs protection. The purchase of Russian S‑400 systems, the conflict of interest with the US over the F‑35 – and now its own ICBM, capable of threatening European capitals – have all been added to the list. Western experts remain sceptical.
Nevertheless, it is abundantly clear that even in the realm of propaganda alone, Ankara has crossed a line: a missile with a maximum range that hypothetically reaches the borders of the US carries a powerfully anti‑American subtext.
Given Erdogan’s own instability, his imperial ambitions and his growing appetites, the international community is fully entitled to view the appearance of such an ICBM with extreme alarm.