Turkey publicly unveiled its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to the world on Tuesday. Named Yıldırımhan and with a range of 6,000 kilometres, the project forms part of Türkiye’s plans to boost its self-defence capabilities and its national defence industry.
The Research and Development (R&D) Department of the Turkish Ministry of National Defence unveiled the new intercontinental ballistic missile system during SAHA 2026, an international trade fair dedicated to the defence and aerospace sectors held in Istanbul from 5 to 9 May, where what is considered one of the most advanced long-range missile systems developed by the country was shown to the public for the first time, according to the Turkish news agency Anatolia.
The Yıldırımhan can reach a speed of Mach 25 – that is, 25 times the speed of sound, equivalent to around 30,000 km/h – and has an estimated range of 6,000 kilometres. It uses liquid nitrogen tetroxide as fuel and is powered by four engines using rocket propulsion.
The SAHA 2026 exhibition, organised by SAHA Istanbul, brings together companies from the sector, suppliers, military delegations and representatives of the defence industry at both national and international levels, and takes place against a backdrop of strong expansion in the Turkish national defence industry, which in recent years has made significant advances in unmanned systems (combat drones), missile technologies, air defence, aviation and aerospace platforms.
The Yıldırımhan forms part of a wide range of ballistic systems of varying sizes and ranges that Turkey has been developing in recent years, including the hypersonic missile Tayfun Blok-4, which – with a range of between 1,000 and 3,000 km and a speed of Mach 5 – was unveiled last year and is also on display at the defence exhibition being held in Istanbul.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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