HISAR O+ 360 Degree Missile Defense System Enters Turkish Military Service, Can Shoot Nine Targets Simultaneously

Test launch of the HISAR O+ missile in Aksaray, central Turkey. (Source: Aselsan via Anadolu Agency)

JAKARTA - The domestically produced HISAR O+ missile defense system was delivered Thursday evening this week for use by the military, making Turkey now self-sufficient in very low, low and medium altitude missile defense.

The HISAR O+ was developed locally in collaboration with Turkish defense industry giants Aselsan and Roketsan.

The air defense system has a 360-degree defensive capability, capable of attacking and firing at least nine different targets simultaneously.

Dedicated to the air defense of stationary troops and a critical asset against warplanes, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles, the HISAR O+ intercepts targets at a range of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles).

Launching Daily Sabah January 20, the HISAR O+ system will perform point and regional air defense missions with a distributed and flexible architecture.

Hisar-O missile test in Aksaray, central Turkey. (Source: Defense Ministry via Daily Sabah)

Last December, the HISAR O+ missile defense system, which reached the mass production stage in July, successfully hit the target aircraft in a test fire, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the ministry said this test fire was carried out at the Aksaray Shooting Range on December 24, 2021, of the Autonomous Missile Launch System.

"The HISAR O+ missile is ready for use," the Ministry of Defense said.

In March last year, the Hisar-O+ medium-range air defense system completed a test-firing, which was the longest-range and highest-altitude test conducted in the country to date.

To note, in addition to the HISAR O+ project, the development of the SIPER long-range missile defense system is still ongoing and is expected to be ready in 2023.