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Turkish missile giant Roketsan's Tayfun Block-3 ballistic missile struck a moving unmanned surface vessel (USV) in the Black Sea, achieving what the company described as a first for a ballistic missile and among only a handful of such tests conducted anywhere in the world.
The test used a live warhead.
The seeker head locked onto a freely maneuvering unmanned surface vessel approximately seven meters long, simulating a small fishing boat, and destroyed it at hypersonic speed with what Roketsan described as "surgical precision."
The test marked the first time a ballistic missile engaged a freely maneuvering unmanned surface vessel at sea, according to the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB).
It also represented the first integration of a seeker head onto a ballistic missile in Türkiye, a capability that exists in only a limited number of examples worldwide.
SSB President Haluk Gorgun said the Block-3 version of the domestically developed Tayfun missile "once again proved its success in the field by hitting a moving target with pinpoint accuracy in a test firing that pushes our long-range precision strike capability even further."
"The Tayfun missile will make important contributions to our security architecture as one of the strategic capabilities strengthening our country's deterrence," Gorgun said.
The test marked the first integration of a seeker warhead onto a ballistic missile in Türkiye, and one of only a few such integrations carried out worldwide, according to Roketsan.
Roketsan Chief Executive Murat Ikinci said the test demonstrated the level of engineering capability the company has reached.
"Tayfun blew very hard again in the Black Sea," Ikinci said.
"Our Tayfun Block-3 missile, which hit a moving target at long range with a direct hit, once again showed the level our engineering capabilities have reached with seeker head integration. I thank all my colleagues who contributed to this critical success, which is a first in our country and has only a handful of examples in the world."
Roketsan said on X that the missile reaches hypersonic speeds and delivers high strike power and precision. "We continue to improve the capabilities of our products every day and strengthen our strategic deterrence," the company said.
During the test, the missile's advanced seeker head locked onto the target, a seven-meter unmanned surface vessel representing a small fishing boat, which had been designated as a hostile element.
The missile reached hypersonic speeds in the terminal phase and directly struck and destroyed the high-mobility, small-sized surface target.
The Tayfun missile system is designed by Roketsan to create effects against deep targets, with a high reliability level. Its hypersonic cruise speed makes it resilient against air defense threats, while its high strike precision limits unintended damage.
The system offers short readiness time and rapid displacement of firepower, along with high electronic warfare resistance against GPS jamming. It operates day and night in all weather conditions due to low environmental sensitivity.
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