Each missiles are developed by TÜBİTAK-SAGE, and would arm Turkey’s F-16 and Kaan fighters, the Kizilelma UCAV, and even the JF-17 Thunder Block 3 fighter utilized by Pakistan and Azerbaijan.
Turkey carried out live-fire checks of its Gökdoğan past visual-range and Bozdoğan inside visual-range AAMs (Air-to-Air Missiles) from an F-16 on Oct. 19, 2025, with each the missiles hitting pilotless goal drones. The missiles are lengthy in a line of indigenous packages, together with UCAVs just like the Kizilelma, Anka III, the fifth-generation Kaan fighter, the Hürjet superior jet coach and wide-range of surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles.
Each missiles, developed by TÜBİTAK-SAGE, have been examined previous to this, however this seems to be the primary time that they have been successively launched collectively from a single F-16 throughout the identical check. Minister for Business and Know-how Mehmet Fatih Kacir referred to as the profitable trial a results of the nation’s “superior engineering, unrelenting willpower and splendid stuffed with independence.”
The Bozdoğan’s first stay check befell on Apr. 14, 2021, from a Turkish F-16, efficiently destroying a Şimşek goal drone. Gökdoğan was first live-tested in 2018, adopted by one other check reported by Minister of Business and Know-how Mehmet Fatih Kacır on Feb. 12, 2025.
🔵🇹🇷Yerli hava-hava füzelerinden tam isabet
🔸TÜBİTAK SAGE tarafından geliştirilen BOZDOĞAN ve GÖKDOĞAN hava-hava füzeleri, zorlu check atışlarını başarıyla tamamladı.📎@SageTubitak🔗 pic.twitter.com/N7Iyf6YRzp
— Defence Turk (@Defence_Turk) October 20, 2025
Plans for mass manufacturing of each missiles have been introduced on Jun. 3, 2022, adopted by a “Low-Scale Preliminary Manufacturing” contract signed between the Presidency of Protection Industries (SSB) and developer TÜBİTAK-SAGE on Jul. 27, 2023. Twenty-five models of every of the missiles and 14 launchers have been to be delivered by 2025.
The check
The video confirmed a specifically instrumented F-16 taxiing and taking off with two Gökdoğan and Bozdoğan check missiles, as proven by the markings and their orange coloration. The missiles are mounted on every of the wingtip and outer hardpoint launchers.
One other F-16 follows as a chase plane, and each jets are supported by a Turkish Air Power KC-135 Stratotanker. With a number of in-flight cameras and the chase plane capturing the launches, each missiles hit the pilotless goal drone head on.
One of many goal drones can be captured departing from a ground-based rail launcher. It isn’t clear if the opposite two missiles from the starboard (proper)-side wing have been additionally fired, as solely the Gökdoğan and Bozdoğan from the port-side wing are proven being launched.
IR footage additionally reveals each the missiles putting the goal. Apparently, the Bozdoğan seems to climb up in a steep trajectory after being launched, probably conducting a ‘lofting’ maneuver.
Gök Vatanın Sarsılmaz İki Pençesi
🚀 BOZDOĞAN🚀 GÖKDOĞAN
İleri mühendisliğimizin, bitmeyen azmimizin ve tam bağımsızlık idealimizin gökyüzüne kazınmış iki imzası… 🎯@SageTubitak tarafından geliştirilen yerli ve milli hava-hava füzelerimiz, zorlu check atışlarını başarıyla… pic.twitter.com/m8kwEgCST8
— Mehmet Fatih KACIR (@mfatihkacir) October 19, 2025
The missiles
The Bozdoğan, in response to TÜBİTAK-SAGE, is a Inside Visible-Vary (WVR) short-range AAM with a variety of over 25 km, powered by a “high-thrust lowered smoke stable propellant”. An IIR (Imaging Infrared) seeker and a thrust vector management gives high-G maneuverability and an “all-aspect” high-off boresight engagement functionality.
TÜBİTAK-SAGE places the Gökdoğan’s vary of over 65 km, powered by a solid-fuel rocket engine and a solid-state lively RF (Radio Frequency) seeker. A ‘lock on after launch’ mode is supported by a data-link that may obtain goal updates from the launching plane. Kacir stated the missile additionally has “superior management algorithms.”
Each missiles started growth in 2012 as part of the broader GÖKTUĞ undertaking. The objective of the undertaking is to have new domestically-developed air-to-air missiles for the Turkish F-16s that have been upgraded below the native PO-III (Peace Onyx III) effort.
Much more considerably, each missiles are reported to be built-in with the Azerbaijan Air Power’s JF-17 Thunder Block 3 fighters, collectively developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Advanced (PAC) and Chengdu Plane Company (CAC). Azerbaijan signed a deal to amass as much as 40 JF-17s, though deliveries haven’t but began.
Each the brand new missiles are suitable with the U.S. MIL-STD-1553 and MIL-STD-1760 interfaces, knowledge bus requirements and the LAU-129 launcher. Nevertheless, Turkish-built mission programs would supply optimized efficiency and rapidly establish scope for upgrades.
Renditions and official displays have proven even longer-ranged Gökdoğan-ER (Prolonged Vary), the Gokhan Block-1 and Block-2 air-breathing ramjet missiles, showing to be roughly in the identical class because the Meteor, and one other ramjet-powered missile, the Gokbora. A Turkish account reported on Jan. 1 that the Gokhan has cleared its conceptual and preliminary design phases, and is present process floor testing.
Why is Turkiye demanding software program rights of F16?
Turkiye is among the many main international locations growing NATO and Europe’s most numerous and precision-guided munitions households. Not utilizing the applied sciences developed by Turkiye within the aforementioned aircrafts we are going to buy would… pic.twitter.com/WT0MpMad0z
— TR_tech (@T_Nblty) October 18, 2025
Turkish F-16s
The development with the Gökdoğan and Bozdoğan missiles may also be seen amid the broader Özgür program, of which Turkey introduced final 12 months an enlargement, bringing extra F-16s below the large home undertaking. The brand new program has additionally been reported as Özgür II by some sources.
This adopted the choice to drop the 79 modernization kits for its F-16s, and simply purchase 40 F-16 Block 70 plane from the U.S. In line with Reuters, the Turkish Air Power (Türk Hava Kuvvetleri) operates just a little over 200 F-16s within the Block 30, 40 and 50 variants, making it NATO’s second-largest fleet of F-16s.
Özgür had initially recognized 35 F-16 Block 30 jets that TAI/TUSAŞ (Turkish Aerospace Industries), TÜBİTAK SAGE and Aselsan would improve with a number of recent in-house software program, avionics and electronics. The parts comprised a nationwide mission laptop; system interface models; cockpit higher entrance management panels; gasoline hydraulic indicators; engine show screens; emergency indicators; nationwide sound security units; nationwide IFF (Identification Good friend-Foe) system; multi-mode receivers; inertial navigation programs; interface blinding models; helmet built-in aiming programs; middle cockpit indicator; and coloration multifunction shows.
