Türkiye confirms plans to acquire Meteor missiles as part of Eurofighter Typhoon deal
Fighter Squadron 74 with Meteor
The Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced plans to integrate the European-manufactured Meteor air-to-air missile into its inventory as part of the Eurofighter Typhoon procurement project.
Defense Ministry sources, speaking at a press briefing, responded to questions regarding Greece’s reaction to Türkiye’s planned acquisition of Meteor missiles from France.
“The Meteor missile is a new-generation, long-range European air-to-air missile. As part of the Eurofighter Typhoon procurement project, we plan to include Meteor missiles in our inventory. As we have always stated, our priority is domestic and national weaponry and systems. In this regard, we also aim to strengthen our Air Force with the Gokhan air-to-air missile, which we are currently developing as an equivalent to the Meteor missile. Until Gokhan enters service, the procurement of Meteor missiles alongside Eurofighter aircraft continues without issue,” the sources stated.
Gokhan‘s external layout shows clear similarities with the MBDA Meteor, its European counterpart, regarding air intake positioning. However, the rear fins have a significantly lower span, suggesting that GOKHAN is optimized for internal weapon bays, which could address the integration issues the Meteor has experienced with the U.K.’s F-35Bs.
The fuselage layout (not including the air intakes) is identical to that of GOKDOGAN, suggesting the reuse of existing components and a cautious approach to maintaining a similar interface to facilitate integration work.
This would result in a length of approximately 5.1 m for Gokhan. The missile’s ramjet propulsion will offer the advantage of a longer effective range thanks to adjustable thrust, as solid-fuel rocket engines cannot adjust their thrust mid-flight.
The missile will be used on Turkish Air Force’s F-16 Block 30 fighter jets with OZGUR (Liberty) modernization, the MURAD 100-A AESA radar, and the TAI KAAN fighter jet.
Bozdogan within visual range air-to-air missile’s capabilities
| Guidance: High resolution IIR Seeker providing outstanding off-boresight capability, advanced counter-counter measure capabilities and all-aspect engagement capability |
| Thrust and control: High thrust—reduced smoke solid propellant technology, fully electronic rocket motor arming and firing system with exceptional safety and reliability and superior agility with thrust vector control |
| Warhead: Custom warhead design for maximum probability-of-kill and distinguished safety and reliability with always-in-line fuzing |
| Compatibility: MIL-STD-1553 & MIL-STD-1760 compatible and designed for use with LAU-129 |
Gokdogan beyond visual range air-to-air missile’s capabilities
| Guidance: Novel solid-state active RF seeker technology, smart guidance with fire-and-forget capability, advanced countermeasure capabilities including home-on-jamming, target update capability with datalink, all-aspect and multiple-target engagement capability, and lock-on after launch. |
| Thrust and control: High thrust—reduced smoke solid propellant technology and fully electronic rocket motor arming and firing system with exceptional safety and reliability |
| Warhead: Custom warhead design for maximum probability-of-kill and distinguished safety and reliability with always-in-line fuzing |
| Compatibility: MIL-STD-1553 & MIL-STD-1760 compatible and designed for use with LAU-129 |
Gokhan national ramjet-powered air-to-air missile capabilities
The National Ramjet Powered Air-Air Missile (Gokhan) Development Project contract was signed between the Ministry of National Defense and TUBITAK SAGE on May 21, 2021.
The aim of this project is to develop a ramjet-powered air-to-air missile system that will enable the neutralization of various air elements with a long-range engagement in order to establish air superiority, protect high-value aircraft and enable attack aircraft to contribute to survivability by conducting their own defense.
The conceptual design and preliminary design phases of the project have been completed, and the ground trials phase is underway. During the ground tests and flight tests phases of the project, subsystem and system verification tests will be conducted, and flight and firing tests will be carried out.
The Gokhan project is developing a ramjet-powered air-to-air missile, which, if successful, will introduce a strategic air-to-air missile system to our country, making Türkiye one of the NATO member countries capable of producing ramjet-powered air-to-air missiles.
Meteor missile and its consortium
The Meteor is a beyond-visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) system developed by MBDA, a European defense consortium.
Meteor has been developed by a group of European partners led by MBDA to meet the needs of six European nations: the U.K., Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden. All with a common need to defeat the threats of today and in the future.
The missile system is currently in service with several European air forces. It is renowned for its high-speed and extended-range capabilities. The ramjet motor provides the missile with thrust all the way to target intercept. This ensures the largest No Escape Zone of any air-to-air missile system. The fragmentation warhead ensures maximum lethality.
| Lenght: 3.66 m (12’) | Operational range: 100+ km (60+ mi) |
| Diameter: 0.178 m (7”) | Speed: Over Mach 4 |
| Warhead: High Explosive Blast-Fragmentation | Guidance system: Inertial Mid-course with Datalinked Updates, Active Radar |
| Detection mechanism: Radar proximity Fuze and impact sensor | Launch platform: JAS Gripen, EF Typhoon, Dassault Rafale and F-35 JSF |
| Engine: Solid rocket booster and throttleable ramjet |
Türkiye’s stance on developments in Syria
Regarding recent reports that Syria’s new administration has taken control of Afrin following the dissolution of the Syrian National Army, MoD sources emphasized Türkiye’s commitment to Syria’s territorial integrity.
“It is crucial for the new Syrian administration to establish full sovereignty over the entire country. As Türkiye, we continue to support our Syrian brothers in this regard. Our priority remains the elimination of terrorist organizations from Syria. There is a mutual understanding between our country and Syria’s new administration on this matter. The Turkish Armed Forces’ (TAF) presence in Syria will continue to ensure border security and eliminate terrorism, particularly in northeastern Syria,” the sources noted.
The ministry also highlighted ongoing assessments of potential threats arising from the evolving situation in Syria. If necessary, military units in Syria may be repositioned accordingly. Additionally, Türkiye is in the process of appointing a military attache to Syria, with an official deployment expected soon.
Türkiye challenges Greek moves in NATO’s Steadfast Dart 2025 exercise
MSB sources also addressed concerns over Greece’s actions during NATO’s Steadfast Dart 2025 exercise, which took place simultaneously in Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece.
“Following our detection of elements in the exercise planning documents that contradict our national rights and interests, as well as international law, we took action at the highest level within NATO to resolve the issue. We emphasized that the document was inconsistent with NATO’s established policies and practices,” the sources stated.
The ministry accused Greece of attempting to impose its national positions within NATO exercises.
“Greece repeatedly tries to insert its positions into NATO exercises, including those held within its territory. In this case, they attempted to include certain provisions in the exercise planning document. Consequently, we initiated efforts to have the document revised in accordance with our national sensitivities and to secure approval at the North Atlantic Council level,” the statement continued.
Türkiye subsequently withdrew its reconnaissance unit from Steadfast Dart 2025 while continuing participation in Romania’s Dacia military exercise.
Turkish naval assets engaged in NATO’s standing maritime groups are still contributing to the Steadfast Dart exercise in line with Türkiye’s NATO commitments.
