Istanbul (Somalia Today) – Türkiye plans to test-fire its first intercontinental ballistic missile from Somalia later this year at the earliest, Bloomberg reported, in a major leap for Ankara’s drive to join a small group of global powers with long-range missile capability.
The Yildirimhan missile, unveiled on Tuesday at the SAHA defence expo in Istanbul, has a reported range of 6,000 kilometres, putting much of Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia within reach.
Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the plans, reported that Türkiye intends to use a new spaceport in Somalia to launch the missile toward the Indian Ocean.
The test would give Ankara a long maritime corridor for a system that Türkiye would struggle to trial from its own territory due to crowded airspace, shipping routes, and nearby states.
The missile’s unveiling marks one of Türkiye’s boldest steps yet in its effort to build an independent defence industry and strengthen deterrence amid growing regional missile threats.
“We believe we would use it only as a deterrent, but if we ever need to use it, no one should have any doubt that we would do so without hesitation,” Defence Minister Yasar Guler said during a visit to the expo, where officials displayed a version of the missile.
“We assess that we would use it in the most effective way possible,” he added.
New strategic tier
The Yildirimhan, named after an Ottoman sultan, would be Türkiye’s longest-range missile to date and its first publicly displayed intercontinental ballistic missile.
Such weapons are usually associated with nuclear powers, although Türkiye does not possess nuclear arms. Ankara has instead presented its growing missile programme as part of a broader conventional deterrence strategy.
The reported 6,000-kilometre range would move Türkiye into a category dominated by the United States, Russia, China and a handful of other states with intercontinental missile technology.
The system can reportedly carry a 3,000-kilogram warhead and uses liquid fuel.
Türkiye has also developed shorter- and medium-range systems, including the Tayfun and Cenk missiles, as it expands its domestic arsenal to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.
Ankara has already scaled up production of Tayfun-1 ballistic missiles, with a range of at least 560 kilometres. Bloomberg reported that Türkiye also plans to test an advanced Tayfun-4 model, expected to fly more than 2,000 kilometres, from Somalia.
The country has also developed the Cenk missile, with a reported range of around 3,000 kilometres.
Somalia test route
Somalia’s role in the plan is operational but important.
A launch from Somali territory toward the Indian Ocean would give Türkiye a wide and relatively open testing corridor.
It would also offer Ankara a practical route for long-range missile and satellite launches that would be harder to conduct from the Black Sea, the Aegean, or the Mediterranean.
Bloomberg first revealed the planned Somalia test location, citing people familiar with the matter who discussed sensitive defence plans on condition of anonymity.
Somali officials have publicly described the spaceport project with Türkiye as civilian and developmental, focused on science, technology and economic growth rather than weapons testing.
“Somalia sees the partnership as an opportunity to attract investment, create jobs, build technical expertise, and expand cooperation in satellite and space-related technologies that can support communications, climate monitoring, education, and economic development,” State Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Mohamed Omar said in response to questions about Türkiye’s plans.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced in December that Türkiye planned to establish a spaceport in Somalia under bilateral agreements with the Somali government.
“Under the agreements we have signed, we plan to establish a spaceport in Somalia,” Erdogan said at the time.
Turkish officials have said Somalia’s location near the equator, its long coastline and lower air and sea traffic make it suitable for launch operations.
Regional arms race
Türkiye’s missile push has gained urgency as instability deepens across the Middle East.
The war involving the United States, Israel and neighbouring Iran has sharpened Ankara’s focus on deterrence, while Turkish officials have voiced concern about the possibility of a wider regional arms race.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said earlier this year that Türkiye could be dragged into a regional competition for nuclear arms because of concerns over Iran’s atomic programme.
Türkiye is also developing an integrated air and missile defence system known as “Steel Dome”, designed to protect the country against missiles, drones and aircraft.
Defence analysts Sitki Egeli and Arda Mevlutoglu said in a paper for the International Institute for Strategic Studies that regional missile threats and Ankara’s desire for defence-industrial autonomy have pushed Türkiye to build a broad portfolio of ballistic and cruise missiles.
“Türkiye’s political leadership sees clear value in holding a credible and increasingly long-range inventory of ballistic and cruise systems for deterrence and, should that fail, for war,” they wrote.
Defence power
The missile programme forms part of Erdogan’s long campaign to turn Türkiye into a major defence producer.
Türkiye now manufactures drones, armoured vehicles, naval platforms, precision weapons and air defence systems.
Its Bayraktar drones have appeared in conflicts from Libya to Ukraine, while Turkish companies are developing fighter drones, tanks, engines and frigates.
Ankara also has NATO’s largest army after the United States and is preparing to host the alliance’s next summit in July, a moment it is expected to use to highlight its role in European and regional security.
For Somalia, the reported test adds another layer to a security relationship that has deepened over the past decade.
Türkiye opened its largest overseas military base in Mogadishu in 2017 and has trained thousands of Somali soldiers and police.
The two countries also signed a defence and economic cooperation agreement in 2024 under which Ankara agreed to support Somalia’s maritime security and help protect its territorial waters.
But the main significance of the Yildirimhan test lies in Türkiye’s strategic leap.
A successful launch from Somalia would show that Ankara can combine overseas partnerships, space infrastructure and domestic defence technology to enter a missile category once reserved for the world’s most powerful states.
 from Somalia later this year, according to a Bloomberg report.){kind=link}