The Turkish MoD announced that the SÜPER ŞİMŞEK of TUSAŞ was utilised as a target UAV for the test of SİPER long-range air defence system with SİPER-1 missile.
The first publicly known use of SÜPER ŞİMŞEK high-speed multirole UAV as a target UAV for the test of SİPER long-range air defence system was announced by the Turkish MoD.
SİPER-1 long-range air defence missile was used in the test, which can reach a range of 100+ km and an altitude of 20+ km. The missile, alongside the longer ranged SİPER-2 with a new design, counters air-breathing targets while anti-ballistic focused variants SİPER-A and SİPER-4 are in development.
The importance of SÜPER ŞİMŞEK is beyond the localisation of a key asset for air defence system tests. SÜPER ŞİMŞEK, with a design optimised for high speed, can reach higher speeds compared to Jet Banshee 80, which has been widely used for the Turkish air defence systems’ tests. SÜPER ŞİMŞEK sports a top speed of Mach 0.85, while this is around Mach 0.6 for Jet Banshee 80. This provides a more challenging target, contributing to feedback. Additionally, SÜPER ŞİMŞEK’s options to mount jammers or other countermeasures can allow more realistic simulations of enemy aircraft.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
