When Türkiye unveiled its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Yildirimhan, at the SAHA 2026 defence and aerospace expo in Istanbul, it marked yet another milestone for the country’s robust defence industry, known for its cutting-edge military equipment.
Developed by the Turkish Ministry of National Defence’s Research and Development Centre, the Yildirimhan features a range of 6,000 kilometres, roughly equaling 15 percent of the Earth’s total circumference.
The missile can travel at up to Mach 25, an extreme hypersonic speed equivalent to 25 times the speed of sound, or nearly eight kilometres per second.
These attributes make the Yildirimhan the country’s most advanced long-range strike system to date.
Mursel Dogrul, associate professor at the Joint War College of the Turkish National Defence University, tells TRT World that the missile symbolises the maturation of Türkiye’s indigenous defence-industrial ecosystem.
“The Yildirimhan represents a significant advancement in Türkiye’s missile ecosystem, moving beyond the traditional short- and medium-range deterrence logic of systems such as the J-600T Yildirim, the Bora/Khan and the Tayfun, as well as the developing Cenk platform,” Dogrul says.
The J-600T Yildirim and Bora/Khan are Turkish missiles with ranges of 150 kilometres and 280 kilometres, respectively.
Tayfun is Türkiye’s first hypersonic ballistic missile, having a range of up to 1,500 kilometres, while Cenk is a medium-range ballistic missile with a reach exceeding 2,000 kilometres.
Though not all features of the Yildirimhan have been made public, the most obvious difference that sets it apart from other missiles is its long range, Dogrul notes.
At 6,000 kilometres, the missile enters the lower end of the intercontinental ballistic missile spectrum, dramatically increasing Türkiye’s strategic reach far beyond its immediate neighbourhood.
Its speed of up to Mach 25 “significantly complicates” the interception timeline for existing missile defence architectures, creating a distinct advantage in survivability against layered air defence systems, Dogrul says.
In the same vein, the payload capacity of the Yildirimhan distinguishes it from other missiles, he says.
The new missile can carry a payload of up to 3,000 kilograms, unusually heavy compared to earlier conventional ballistic missiles in Türkiye’s inventory.
Unlike previous systems that were predominantly solid-fuelled, the Yildirimhan uses four liquid-fuel rocket motors with nitrogen tetroxide.
While liquid fuel introduces some “operational trade-offs” in terms of launch readiness, it enables greater optimisation of range and payload, Dogrul says.
From a survivability perspective, the missile’s combination of hypersonic speed, high-altitude trajectory options, and manoeuvrability could make it difficult for adversaries to intercept, he adds.
“Even if some of the specifications remain unverified, the signalling effect alone is strategically significant.”
The Yildirimhan also reflects the steady progress of Türkiye’s homegrown defence capabilities.
The progression from the Bora, Tayfun and Cenk to the Yildirimhan demonstrates a “gradual but consistent expansion” in propulsion, guidance, systems integration, and strategic strike engineering, he says.
This progress in missile capability also reinforces Türkiye’s ambition to become a fully sovereign long-range strike power.
The Turkish defence industry has been growing by leaps and bounds, with with exports crossing $10 billion in 2025, up 48 percent from a year ago.
A signal to potential adversaries
