# Yıldırımhan
**Yıldırımhan** is a Turkish long-range ballistic missile unveiled on May 5, 2026 at the SAHA 2026 International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition in Istanbul, developed by the Turkish Ministry of National Defense R&D Center (MSB AR-GE). Its claimed range of 6,000 kilometers with a 3,000-kilogram conventional warhead would place it above the 5,500-kilometer threshold used to classify an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), making it Turkey's first system in that class.[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile) The missile has not been flight-tested, and several of the displayed specifications have been questioned by open-source analysts.[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile) • [2](https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/turkey/yildirimhan.htm)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Unveiling | May 5, 2026, SAHA 2026 exhibition, Istanbul; developed by the Ministry of National Defense R&D Center[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile) |
| Claimed range | 6,000 km, above the 5,500 km threshold for ICBM classification[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile) |
| Payload | 3,000 kg conventional warhead; no verified public information indicates nuclear integration[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile) • [3](https://millimudafaa.com/defense-industry/yildirimhan-long-range-ballistic-missile-turkiyes-liquid-fueled-strategic-missile-project) |
| Propulsion | Single stage with four liquid rocket motors; unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) fuel and dinitrogen tetroxide (N₂O₄) oxidizer[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile) • [4](https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/05/08/turkey-touts-propellant-breakthrough-for-yildirimhan-long-range-ballistic-missile/) |
| Claimed speed | Mach 9 to Mach 25 across flight phases[5](https://www.strategicdefenseinsights.com/news/turkey-debuts-its-first-ever-icbm-the-y%C4%B1ld%C4%B1r%C4%B1mhan-at-saha-2026-in-istanbul) |
| Testing status | Not yet flight-tested; laboratory testing reported complete, field or ground testing planned[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile) • [4](https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/05/08/turkey-touts-propellant-breakthrough-for-yildirimhan-long-range-ballistic-missile/) |
| Deployment concept | Conventionally armed and road-mobile, shown with a trailer-based transporter erector launcher[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile) • [6](https://warsight.com/2026/05/06/saha-2026-turkiye-unveils-yildirimhan/) |
## Unveiling and official statements
The missile was revealed when a black cover was removed from the display on the opening day of SAHA 2026 at the Istanbul Expo Center. Turkish state media described it as the largest and longest-range missile Turkey has produced to date.[7](https://www.trthaber.com/haber/savunma/turkiyenin-bugune-kadar-urettigi-en-buyuk-fuze-sahnede-yildirimhan-944095.html) Defense Minister Yaşar Güler called it "a significant technological milestone as Turkey's first liquid-fueled rocket missile system, capable of hypersonic-speed flight and possessing the country's longest range."[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile) He said the missile is necessary for Turkey's security and demonstrates that Turkey "offers its allies not only weapon systems but also technology" at sustainable costs.[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile)
The missile's body carries the tughra of the Ottoman sultan Yıldırım Bayezid and the signature of [Mustafa Kemal Atatürk](https://www.edgepedia.org/mustafa-kemal-ataturk), the founder of the Turkish Republic.[7](https://www.trthaber.com/haber/savunma/turkiyenin-bugune-kadar-urettigi-en-buyuk-fuze-sahnede-yildirimhan-944095.html)
## Claimed specifications
The exhibition panels and ministry statements give a range of 6,000 km, a warhead capacity of up to 3,000 kg, and speeds between Mach 9 and Mach 25, with the lower figure associated with boost and the higher with terminal flight.[4](https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/05/08/turkey-touts-propellant-breakthrough-for-yildirimhan-long-range-ballistic-missile/) • [5](https://www.strategicdefenseinsights.com/news/turkey-debuts-its-first-ever-icbm-the-y%C4%B1ld%C4%B1r%C4%B1mhan-at-saha-2026-in-istanbul) A 6,000 km range would be sufficient to reach any target in Europe, the Middle East, and north Africa from Turkish territory.[6](https://warsight.com/2026/05/06/saha-2026-turkiye-unveils-yildirimhan/)
**Disputed figures.** The GlobalSecurity.org analysis of the display panel records a claimed length of about 10 meters and a launch weight of about 7,200 kg, and flags both as disputed or physically implausible for the stated range and payload; it notes that at 7,200 kg the Yıldırımhan would be far lighter than the Iranian Sejjil, which weighs 23,600 kg for a 2,000 km range with a 700 kg payload.[2](https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/turkey/yildirimhan.htm) The same analysis notes that the figures come from a model display and that no flight-test data exists.[2](https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/turkey/yildirimhan.htm) The official specification board also contained a terminology error, listing "Liquid Nitrogen Tetroxide" as the missile's fuel when nitrogen tetroxide is an oxidizer, not a fuel.[8](https://www.thedefensenews.com/Turkey-Unveils-First-6000-km-Range-Yldrmhan-ICBM-at-SAHA-2026/)
## Propulsion and the domestic propellant program
Unlike most ICBMs, which use multiple stages, the Yıldırımhan is a single-stage missile powered by four liquid rocket motors.[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile) According to the Ministry of National Defense, it uses unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine as fuel and dinitrogen tetroxide as oxidizer, a storable bipropellant combination.[4](https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/05/08/turkey-touts-propellant-breakthrough-for-yildirimhan-long-range-ballistic-missile/)
Nilüfer Kuzulu, director-general of the Ministry of National Defence's R&D Center, told the broadcaster NTV Türkiye that the country had worked on hypersonic technologies and liquid-propellant systems for nearly a decade. She said the propellant chemicals had not previously been manufactured in Turkey; production began with small laboratory quantities and later moved to serial production with a dedicated production facility.[4](https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/05/08/turkey-touts-propellant-breakthrough-for-yildirimhan-long-range-ballistic-missile/) In a separate interview, Kuzulu said the project has a history spanning ten years and that the displayed system is not merely a fair model.[9](https://www.yuzde100yerli.com/en/we-do-not-exhibit-what-we-cannot-do-msb-randd-director-shares-striking-details-about-yildirimhan/)
Liquid propellant choice has operational consequences: liquid-fueled missiles must keep fuel and oxidizer separated until shortly before use, requiring more maintenance and preparation time than solid-fueled systems.[10](https://dev2.armscontrol.org/factsheets/missile-defense-systems-glance)
## Testing status
As of the June 2026 reporting, the missile has not been tested.[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile) Ministry sources said the system has completed laboratory testing and will enter field or ground testing in the coming period, with the field-testing campaign proceeding on a planned schedule.[4](https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/05/08/turkey-touts-propellant-breakthrough-for-yildirimhan-long-range-ballistic-missile/) Turkish media reported that test launches are planned for the coming period.[7](https://www.trthaber.com/haber/savunma/turkiyenin-bugune-kadar-urettigi-en-buyuk-fuze-sahnede-yildirimhan-944095.html)
## Context in Turkey's missile program
Turkey has developed and deployed several short-range ballistic missile systems, defined as having ranges under 1,000 km. Its longest-range missile tested to date is the Tayfun Block 4, with an estimated range of 1,000 kilometers, first tested in October 2025.[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile) In January 2025, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey had "decided to … accelerate our missile development program with a range of 2,000 kilometers and above" to counter regional threats.[1](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile)
Open-source analysis assesses the Yıldırımhan as a conventionally armed strategic ballistic missile project, since there is no verified public information indicating nuclear warhead integration. Its declared role is strategic deterrence and deep strike against high-value fixed targets such as air bases, command-and-control centers, missile-defense infrastructure, and military ports, rather than tactical battlefield fire support.[3](https://millimudafaa.com/defense-industry/yildirimhan-long-range-ballistic-missile-turkiyes-liquid-fueled-strategic-missile-project) Turkey has been a member of the [Missile Technology Control Regime](https://www.edgepedia.org/missile-technology-control-regime) (MTCR) since 1997.[2](https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/turkey/yildirimhan.htm)
## References
1. [Turkey Unveils Long-Range Missile, Arms Control Today (June 2026)](https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-06/news-briefs/turkey-unveils-long-range-missile)
2. [Turkey – Yildirimhan ICBM, GlobalSecurity.org](https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/turkey/yildirimhan.htm)
3. [Yıldırımhan Long-Range Ballistic Missile: Türkiye's Liquid-Fueled Strategic Missile Project, Milli Müdafaa](https://millimudafaa.com/defense-industry/yildirimhan-long-range-ballistic-missile-turkiyes-liquid-fueled-strategic-missile-project)
4. [Turkey touts propellant breakthrough for Yıldırımhan long-range ballistic missile, Defense News (May 8, 2026)](https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/05/08/turkey-touts-propellant-breakthrough-for-yildirimhan-long-range-ballistic-missile/)
5. [Turkey Debuts Its First-Ever ICBM — the Yıldırımhan — at SAHA 2026 in Istanbul, Strategic Defense Insights](https://www.strategicdefenseinsights.com/news/turkey-debuts-its-first-ever-icbm-the-y%C4%B1ld%C4%B1r%C4%B1mhan-at-saha-2026-in-istanbul)
6. [SAHA 2026: Türkiye unveils Yıldırımhan, the country's first ICBM, Warsight (May 6, 2026)](https://warsight.com/2026/05/06/saha-2026-turkiye-unveils-yildirimhan/)
7. [Türkiye'nin bugüne kadar ürettiği en büyük füze sahnede: YILDIRIMHAN, TRT Haber (May 5, 2026)](https://www.trthaber.com/haber/savunma/turkiyenin-bugune-kadar-urettigi-en-buyuk-fuze-sahnede-yildirimhan-944095.html)
8. [Turkey Unveils First 6,000-km Range Yıldırımhan ICBM at SAHA 2026, The Defense News](https://www.thedefensenews.com/Turkey-Unveils-First-6000-km-Range-Yldrmhan-ICBM-at-SAHA-2026/)
9. ["We Do Not Exhibit What We Cannot Do": MSB R&D Director Shares Striking Details About YILDIRIMHAN, Yüzde100 Yerli (May 6, 2026)](https://www.yuzde100yerli.com/en/we-do-not-exhibit-what-we-cannot-do-msb-randd-director-shares-striking-details-about-yildirimhan/)
10. [Missile Defense Systems at a Glance, Arms Control Association](https://dev2.armscontrol.org/factsheets/missile-defense-systems-glance)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Engineering and manufacturing › Missiles and rocketry › Ballistic and strategic missiles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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