Turkey Successfully Tests Domestically Made SOM-J Cruise Missiles

JAKARTA - Turkey has successfully conducted a test launch of the local SOM-J cruise missile, said Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih KacZyr on Monday, demonstrating the country's advanced engineering capabilities.

SOM-J is a new generation of medium-range, weather-resistant, and can be launched from air to the surface developed by the Defense Industry Research and Development Institute (SAGE) of the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TENTBITAK).

"The SoM-J cruise missile developed at TENTBITAK SAGE shows the level of engineering that has been achieved by Turkey," said KacENTir on social media platform X, launching Daily Sabah October 13.

During the test, the missile proved its ability to evade defense and radar systems through complex maneuvers and low altitude flights, the minister added.

The Chief of Staff further highlighted the features of SOM-J, including sea-skimming flights, post-launch control, and full involvement capabilities of surface targets, calling this achievement a "a step forward towards fully independent and frontier Turkey."

In addition to fighter jets, this cruise missile is also targeted to be integrated into domestically developed drones.

The missile is part of the SOM family, which is designed to be used against land and sea targets.

These missiles are expected to have an operational range of more than 250 kilometers and offer low visibility, high precision, durability/resistant resistance to mixing measures, network-based movement suitability, engagement with target chances, as well as previously planned task selection during flight, target determination during flight, selected attack parameters, and universal weapons interface compatibility.