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Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir announced on Monday that the firing test of the SOM-J cruise missile developed by TUBITAK Defense Industry Research and Development Institute (SAGE) was successfully completed.
Kacir posted on his social media account regarding the firing test of the domestic cruise missile SOM-J.
Emphasizing that the firing test of the domestic cruise missile SOM-J was successfully completed, Kacir said: "The SOM-J cruise missile we developed at TUBITAK SAGE demonstrates the point our advanced engineering level has reached. SOM-J proved itself in the firing test where challenging maneuvers and very low-altitude flight capabilities for evading defense and radar systems were demonstrated."
Kacir drew attention to the missile's features of "very low-altitude flight, post-launch controllability, full engagement against naval targets." He said: "Every signature we successfully launch into the sky is a path to tomorrow's fully independent and leading Türkiye. I congratulate all our stakeholders who contributed."
The SOM-J is an air-to-surface munition developed for use against heavily defended land and naval targets and is mounted inside the aircraft or below the wing according to the SOM-J's technical sheet published by the manufacturer Roketsan.
The missile's modular design supports operational flexibility. Built based on existing SOM technologies already in service with the Turkish Air Force, SOM-J provides enhanced capabilities. The long-range SOM-J is a cost-effective solution due to its reduced observability.
The missile is approximately 3.9 meters long, weighs approximately 540 kilograms and has a range of 275 kilometers. The warhead weighs approximately 140 kilograms and uses high-explosive fragmentation or armor-piercing types.
The missile operates at high subsonic speed and is compatible with F-35 and F-16 platforms.
System capabilities include autonomous use, long range, low radar cross section, high-precision terminal phase via imaging infrared seeker and data link, operability in all weather conditions, resistance to countermeasures, network-enabled weapon capability, in-flight retargeting and universal armament interface compatibility.
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