Turkey nears completion of his own missiles, not part of Patriots

Industry Minister Nihat Ergun has said that Turkey is continuing the production of its own missiles in an effort to reinforce its defense capabilities, while setting the new missiles apart from NATO Patriot missiles. "Production of the missiles is proceeding. However, it is incorrect to call them Patriots, as that name is specific to missiles produced by other countries. The missile we have begun preparations for is a SOM missile with a range of 250 kilometers," Ergun said in response to a reporter's question during a ceremony hosted by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBİTAK) in Ankara. Out of NATO allies, only Germany, the Netherlands and the United States possess Patriot surface-to-air missile systems. Asked to comment on the state of the Turkey-made missiles, and whether such a project was possible in the country, Ergün said that production had already begun. Ergun said preliminary tests on the missiles had been completed and that the process had reached mass production, adding that the goal is to have them reach 500 kilometers. "In parallel with that, another institute of ours is producing defensive missiles to ward off potential attacks. Our goal is to meet all the needs of our country with local facilities. I believe the next 10 years will provide us this opportunity," Ergun noted. Turkey formally asked NATO on Nov. 21 to deploy missile defense elements on its border with Syria to boost its air defense systems, for which NATO has also announced its willingness.