Turkey unveils Yildirimhan hypersonic intercontinental missile
Turkey has unveiled the Yildirimhan intercontinental hypersonic ballistic missile for the first time. It was shown at the SAHA EXPO 2026 defense exhibition in Istanbul. The Defense Ministry said that a missile with a range of up to 6,000 km and a speed of up to Mach 25 could change the balance of power. At the same time, the development has not yet been tested — test launches are just being planned.
Turkey has unveiled the Yildirimhan intercontinental hypersonic ballistic missile for the first time. The presentation took place at the SAHA EXPO 2026 international defense exhibition in Istanbul, the Haber 7 TV channel reported.
According to the agency, the rocket is equipped with four engines and is capable of traveling up to 6,000 km. The claimed speed is from Mach 9 to Mach 25.
The Yildirimhan uses diazote tetraxide-based fuel and can carry a warhead weighing up to 3 tons.
At the same time, he added that Ankara "hopes to use existing weapons only for deterrence purposes." The Turkish Defense Ministry said that, in their assessment, Yildirimhan "can change the global balance of power."
The military department clarified that the missile has not yet been tested — test launches at the test sites will begin in the near future.
Turkey's advanced weapons
Turkey introduced its first hypersonic weapon, the Tayfun Block—4 missile, in July 2025. At that time, its speed did not exceed Mach 5, which is below the accepted threshold of hypersound.
According to the developer Roketsan, the speed was subsequently increased to Mach 10. The claimed range is about 1000 km, the deviation from the target is up to 5 m.
At the same time, Turkey presented its "laser weapon system", the ALKA—KAPLAN hybrid directed energy platform, at the SAHA EXPO. It is claimed that it is one of the most cost-effective for eliminating aerial targets.
— writes the Andalou agency.
According to the Soczu newspaper, the system was successfully tested in May, accurately hitting an aerial target. It is claimed that the effective range ranges from 750 to 1,500 m, and the use of artificial intelligence allows the system to track up to 100 targets simultaneously.
In addition, at SAHA EXPO 2026, Turkey presented a new PARS ALPHA wheeled armored vehicle with a remote-controlled TEBER-II 30/40 turret.
Nuclear Dreams
In February, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on CNN Turk that if nuclear weapons appeared in the Middle East, Ankara would also have to develop strategic weapons. However, he did not answer the question of whether the country would like to possess nuclear weapons.
— said the diplomat.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted during a briefing that Moscow "paid attention" to Fidan's statement.
Sergey Balmasov, an expert at the Middle East Institute, explained in a conversation with the Ridus portal that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees how the United States "behaves with Iran." At the same time, Ankara has lagged behind North Korea, which has managed to obtain nuclear weapons with fewer resources.
"Turkey will sooner or later face Israel and the West as it expands its sphere of influence to the south (in Syria and beyond), and the advantage of its opponents must be reduced," he argues.
According to Balmasov, Erdogan and other representatives of the Turkish authorities have been "actively negotiating with Niger on the purchase of uranium" since the end of 2025, although Russia supplies fuel for its nuclear power plants under the agreement. In addition, Turkey's technological level allows the country to create "a nuclear device like those that were tested and used in the late 1940s," the expert adds.
Oleg Ignatovich
