Turkey has successfully tested the Siper domestic air defense system, which began to be created last year. The corresponding statement was made on May 28 by the head of the defense industry department of the republic, Ismail Demir.
The Turkish newspaper Sabah previously wrote that the Siper is being developed as an alternative to the S-400 and Patriot. According to Demir, it allegedly can even surpass Russian weapons.
“We share the joy of our young engineers who have successfully completed another test of our Siper air defense system. Excellent and hard work. We will build our future together with you,” said the head of the Turkish Defense Industry Directorate.
Earlier, on May 23, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the Turkish military would conduct anti-terrorist operations on the country’s borders.
On April 18, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the launch of a new military operation against militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq. Special Forces and the Air Force are involved in the operation. The main weapons were unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), attack helicopters and elements of artillery equipment.
On the same day, it became known that the Turkish military neutralized 19 members of the PKK during a new cross-border operation in northern Iraq. Four Turkish soldiers were injured.
Turkey classifies the PKK as a terrorist organization and considers it to be one of the main threats to national security.
The armed conflict with the PKK, banned in Turkey, began on Turkish soil in 1984 and resumed in 2015. In northern Iraq, there are PKK bases against which the Turkish Armed Forces conduct air and ground operations.