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Why is Turkey Building Two Competing Air-to-Air Missiles at the Same Time? Quwa Premium
The 2025 International Defence Exhibition and Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul saw the public debut for two distinct Turkish long-range, ramjet-powered air-to-air missile (LRAAM) programs: Roketsan’s Gökbora and TÜBİTAK SAGE’s Gökhan.
The decision to pursue two separate, resource-intensive development tracks for a similar capability reflects a sophisticated strategy designed to mitigate technological risk, drive a healthy level of competition, and create tailored solutions for the distinct requirements of Turkey’s current and future air fleets.
For the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Turkey’s dual-channel approach could offer a unique window for collaboration, not to address a capability gap, but to acquire deep insight of a major class of threat – i.e., the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) MBDA Meteor – and diversify its inventory with a system built on a different kinematic profile than its mainstay LRAAMs, like the PL-15E, SD-10, and AIM-120C5 AMRAAM.
Roketsan's Gökbora vs. TÜBİTAK SAGE's Gökhan
The existence of two programs stems from the different institutional roles and design philosophies of their respective developers.
Roketsan, a major state-owned defense corporation, and TÜBİTAK SAGE, the national defense research and development institute, have approached the challenge of creating a domestic Meteor-class weapon from different angles.
Roketsan Gökbora
The Roketsan Gökbora was a recent revelation; its existence was far from certain until IDEF 2025. While a ramjet-powered missile, it follows a novel approach.
Engineered specifically for carriage through the internal weapon bays of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) KAAN fifth-generation fighter and the Bayraktar Kızılelma unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), its entire architecture is dictated by the need for operating in low-observable (LO) aircraft with certain design constraints.
While its length and diameter (3.75 m and 180 mm, respectively) are comparable to that of the MBDA Meteor, it leverages retractable/foldable fins to seamlessly fit inside internal weapon bays, like those of the KAAN or Bayraktar Kızılelma.
However, the Gökbora’s most unique feature is its core design; while ramjet-powered, the propulsion stack reportedly uses boron-loaded solid fuel. In contrast, ramjet missiles would typically use liquid fuel. This design decision might be driven by an intent to drive the kinematic benefits of ramjet AAMs while eliminating its complexities.
Basically, it is possible that Roketsan aimed to eliminate the injectors, pumps, tankage, and other complex fuel feed mechanisms typically involved in ramjet-powered missiles, but still leverage the flight efficiency – i.e., capacity to generate a long-range No-Escape Zone (NEZ) – of a ramjet-powered missile like the MBDA Meteor. It is also worth noting that Roketsan added boron as an additive to its solid fuel mix for the Gökbora, which is said to offer greater energy density than other solid fuel mixes. So, leveraging solid fuel might not compromise on the performance of the Gökbora.
Furthermore, solid fuel might also allow for easier and safer handling, greater durability in extreme temperatures, and lower risk of spillage hazards. These are all valid design inputs when tailoring a missile for constrained spaces like that of an internal bay.
Guidance is managed by a sophisticated suite, including a two-way datalink for mid-course updates from the launch aircraft and an advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) RF seeker, co-developed with Aselsan.
This seeker provides a high degree of resistance to electronic attack and allows for the engagement of agile targets at its stated maximum range, which Turkish officials claim exceeds the 185 km mark, placing it in direct competition with the Meteor.
TÜBİTAK SAGE Gökhan
In contrast, TÜBİTAK SAGE’s Gökhan project, initiated in 2021, is a more ‘conventional’ ramjet-powered AAM design centered on liquid fuel. One can expect the design to mirror the MBDA Meteor more closely than the Roketsan Gökbora.
The liquid or gel-powered ramjet propulsion method, while presenting greater technical and integration challenges, offers the significant operational advantage of throttle control.
The ability to actively manage thrust throughout the missile’s flight path allows for greater energy management, enabling it to conserve fuel when cruising while applying maximum power during terminal maneuvers. This results in a larger NEZ for a given amount of fuel compared to a solid-fuel system with a fixed burn profile.
It is unclear if the TÜBİTAK SAGE Gökhan uses an AESA radar-based seeker like the Roketsan Gökbora, but it is probable. Not only is the ostensibly competing missile using an AESA-based seeker stack, but this should be the standard moving forward given the dense electronic countermeasures (ECM) elements at play in modern air environments.
Competitors or Synergenistic?
While it might seem that Roketsan and TÜBİTAK SAGE are competing, they are fulfilling two parallel requirements set out by the Turkish Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB). Currently, it seems that the Turkish Air Force (TuAF) wants to leverage both LRAAMs – i.e., the Gökhan’s more proven technology foundations on one end, and the Gökbora’s potential for scalability and cost control on the other.
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