The Turkish Army is planning to build intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in a bid to show off its military strength and assert its status as a rising great regional power in a tumultuous Middle east.
Ankara’s ICBM ambitions and strategic goals were outlined and approved by the defense industry executive board at a meeting chaired lately by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and chief of staff Gen. Necdet ozel.
The board agreed to set up a satellite launch center that would enable Turkey to place its own satellites in orbit and launch missiles that can navigate outside of the Earth’s atmosphere.
The Turks have developed their own “SOM cruise missile” which is capable of destroying both stationary and moving targets in both land and sea. It uses GPS as for its guidance complemented by an advanced navigation and radar systems, allowing the missile to skim the terrain during its flight in order to evade local defence systems.
The SOM cruise missile has a current range of 300 km. The Turkish military and scientists are busy working to extend its range upto 2,500 km. According to some experts, the development of this missile’ capabilities will certainly be used by the Turks to achieve their ICBM goals and acquire inter-continental weaponry.
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