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Turkey Fires SOM-J Cruise Missile from F-16 For the First Time

March 25, 2025
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Turkey Fires SOM-J Cruise Missile from F-16 For the First Time

SOM-J was initially developed to suit contained in the F-35’s inside bays. Meant for each land and sea targets, it can even be built-in on the KAAN fifth era stealth fighter and the Kizilelma UCAV.

Turkey carried out the primary live-fire check of its SOM-J ALCM (Air-Launched Cruise Missile) from a Turkish Air Power (TuAF/Türk Hava Kuvvetleri) F-16 Block 40 assigned to the 401st Take a look at Squadron, the nation’s Minister of Trade and Expertise Mehmet Fatih Kacır announced on Mar. 21, 2025. Within the making for at the very least six years, the weapon is developed by TÜBİTAK SAGE, sometimes called the Turkish equal of DARPA, and constructed by Roketsan.

The missile was launched over the ocean and maneuvered in direction of the goal, as seen additionally within the footage captured by the concentrating on pod of the chase plane which confirmed the missile out of the blue altering route mid-air, earlier than hanging a container mounted on a barge and marked as a goal.

Bearing check markings throughout its orange paint, the missile was inert and thus with out a warhead, because it didn’t explode after hitting the mock goal, as an alternative piercing via the opposite aspect. The video launched on-line supplied a number of viewpoints of the launch, flight and influence.

The SOM-J has been round since 2018, when in July it appeared as a check article on an F-16 from the 401st TS, along with one other SOM-J captive carry model on its left wing. On the time, it was used to conduct a “secure ammunition launch” and “separation” check from the F-16, with a TuAF F-4E Phantom proven flying beside it as chase.

Then, in May. 2021, then TÜBİTAK SAGE director Gürcan Okumuş introduced an “essential stage” within the weapon’s improvement and introduced a check from an F-16 quickly. This was deliberate to be adopted by “important progress” on UAVs that very same 12 months, and was then presumably delayed for unknown causes.

On Sep. 6, 2021, one other picture appeared displaying a SOM-J, designated KTM-2, on the left wing’s hardpoint of an F-16. This unit was absolutely black, with out the check markings, suggesting there are greater than three models in existence, with the sooner ones used for captive carry and part validation trials.

The missile and the video

The SOM-J, which additionally has land assault functionality, will probably be built-in with the KAAN fifth era stealth fighter and the Kizilelma UCAV (Unmanned Fight Aerial Car). Apparently, TurDef stated that SOM-J was initially developed to suit inside the longer term Turkish F-35’s inside bays, with a “totally different airframe” in comparison with the earlier SOM-A and SOM-B variants.

The most recent missile, coloured orange and peppered with check markings, has a trapezoidal form. It has tandem X-shaped fins, with the primary ones being foldable, in addition to folding wings which deploy after the missile is launched.

Two flat and barely protruding air intakes on the perimeters of the physique, simply ahead of the tail fins, level to an air-breathing engine. The remainder of the closely angled shaping makes evident that the design locations a premium on low-observability. The warhead’s weight and make has not been talked about, however high-explosive, blast-fragmentation sorts are typically used for hanging warships or bunkers.

The video of the stay hearth mission exhibits the F-16 taking off carrying the SOM-J check article, marked “SOM-J ATM,” on its proper wing’s hardpoint, and one other SOM-J, painted black and marked “SOM-J KTM-2,” on the left wing. The plane is chased by a twin-seat F-16 which acted as security chase, as traditional throughout testing, and captured the footage.

The missile is proven, via the infrared digicam of the concentrating on pod, banking to the fitting because it maneuvers in direction of the goal. It isn’t attainable to discern whether or not the fins, a thrust vectoring nozzle or a mixture of each is used for the maneuver.

The SOM-J banking proper, captured in infrared footage by the chase plane. (Picture credit score: Mehmet Fatih Kacır by way of X)

Footage from 5 totally different factors of view captured the influence: two from each side of the barge, displaying the place the SOM-J strikes underneath the marked spot of the big container at its backside and the place it exits from; one simply beside the barge on one of many mooring ropes; an overhead infrared view, presumably from the F-16’s concentrating on pod; and one other CCD clip from over the barge’s left aspect.

The SOM-J moments earlier than hitting the floating goal at sea. (Picture credit score: Mehmet Fatih Kacır by way of X)

An fascinating element is seen within the cockpit view proven within the video, as a pill will be seen put in over the F-16’s Built-in Management Panel (ICP). This pill permits using the UBAS (Plane Unbiased Firing System), a Turkish mission software program which acts as a weapons interface to make use of Turkish-developed weapons.

Missile capabilities

As Turkey’s Minister for Trade and Expertise Mehmet Fatih Kacır talked about within the announcement, the missile boasts “post-fire management by way of information hyperlink” that may result in “retargeting, goal replace, mission cancellation [and] broadcast mute.” Different options embrace the power to interact floor targets, an infrared seeker head and “low radar visibility.”

The missile’s vary, and whether or not it additionally has an onboard database to match the seeker’s picture of a goal with the library earlier than starting its closing assault run, isn’t but identified. Its navigation system has additionally not been disclosed, however missiles of this class often have each a GPS (International Positioning System) and a INS (Inertial Navigation System) as commonplace. SOM-J “will allow the neutralization of high-value targets from lengthy vary,” is all that Kacır’s X put up stated.

A SOM-J, presumably a mock up, beside certainly one of Turkey’s F-35A fighters, that has been held again. (Picture credit score: Anadolu Company)

This doesn’t essentially assist throughout dangerous but needed missions braving air protection and CAPs (Fight Air Patrol), when ALCM strikes must be synchronized with SEAD/DEAD (Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Protection) missions to hit targets of alternative in fluid battles. Furthermore, pre-flight concentrating on is simply helpful for fastened land targets, and never slow-moving but non-static targets like warships.

We have no idea what concentrating on mode was used within the present check, and at what level the Turks employed their information hyperlink. It’s attainable the SOM-J could have been fired towards a special goal space it acquired previous to take-off or launch, after which retasked towards the floating goal barge. Anadolu Agency stated that the missile can “conceal itself by monitoring the landforms,” suggesting a terrain-hugging flight functionality.

One other shut up of a SOM-J mock up at an exhibition stall. (Picture credit score: Anadolu Company)

Turkish F-16 noticed with AGM-84K-1 SLAM-ER

In the meantime, Turkey’s Ministry of Nationwide Defence additionally released a picture on Mar. 20, 2025, displaying an F-16D Block 50+ from the 181st Fleet Command carrying a hardly ever seen loadout. In truth, the jet was carrying two AGM-84-K-1 SLAM-ERs underneath the wings, two stay AIM-120 AMRAAMs on the wingtips, an ASELPOD concentrating on pod, and three exterior gas tanks on the wings and the centerline.

Ankara acquired the SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Assault Missile Expanded Response) in 2006 underneath an FMS (Overseas Navy Gross sales) program, and carried out separation tests from TuAF F-16s between 2011 and 2012. Made by Boeing, the weapon is a extremely adaptable day/evening, all-weather, over-the-horizon precision strike missile.

Based on some studies, the SOM household of weapons would possibly change in future each the SLAM-ER and the AGM-142 Popeye, the latter utilized by the F-4 and anticipated to be retired earlier than 2030.

 

TAGS: F-16, Turkey, Turkish Air Power, Türk Hava Kuvvetleri, Roketsan, TÜBİTAK SAGE, ALCM, Air-Launched Cruise Missile, SOM-J

March 25, 2025
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