On 19 October 2025, Turkey conducted successful live-fire trials of two domestically developed air-to-air missiles — the short-range Bozdoğan and the longer-range Gökdoğan — launched from an F-16. The tests mark a significant step toward reducing reliance on foreign missile stocks and preparing a fully national weapons fit for integration with the forthcoming KAAN fighter.
A Turkish Air Force F-16 from the 401st Test Squadron carried out sequential launches of both weapons, demonstrating short- and long-range employment from the same platform. According to Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih KACIR’s post on X, the firings confirmed robust performance under demanding conditions and indicated readiness for operational introduction. Ministry footage released after the trials showed direct hits, highlighting seeker stability and guidance resilience.
Both missiles were developed by TÜBİTAK SAGE and were engineered from the start to conform with MIL-STD-1553/1760 data-bus and to use the LAU-129 launcher. Those design choices simplify carriage, mission-computer integration and ground-crew procedures on F-16s and smooth later integration onto other platforms, including KAAN.
Bozdoğan is an IR-guided, short-range missile with all-aspect engagement capability and thrust-vector control, giving high-angle-of-attack authority and enhanced terminal agility. Its quoted range beyond 25 km places it in the modern within-visual-range (WVR) category and provides F-16 aircrews with an indigenous dogfight-capable weapon. The seeker’s precision tracking and tuned control laws are designed to counter measures and preserve energy in the endgame.
Gökdoğan features an active-radar seeker, fire-and-forget employment, and lock-on-after-launch (LOAL) options that permit the shooter to disengage and manage the broader battle. With ranges reported in excess of 65 km, it offers credible initial-salvo reach in the BVR (beyond-visual-range) regime. Its MIL-STD conformity positions it for networked cueing from onboard radar or offboard sensors, consistent with contemporary BVR doctrine.
Development progressed from captive-carry and separation trials through seeker characterization to live shots under increasingly complex scenarios. Designing to NATO-standard interfaces from the outset reduces integration friction, supports operational testing on frontline aircraft, and future-proofs the weapons package for other platforms fitted with LAU-129 or compatible rails.
Operationally and strategically, the pairing gives Turkey a sovereign AAM inventory for training and surge operations while insulating sortie generation from export-license constraints and resupply delays. Integrating the same missile family with KAAN from day one centralizes weapons, software updates and tactical development under national control. Regionally, offering a domestically supported missile family to partner air forces (for example, if Azerbaijan’s JF-17s adopt the pairing) would harmonize training, sustainment and software timelines across friendly fleets.
The October firing sequence — confirmed by Minister Mehmet Fatih KACIR on X — therefore signals a capability handover from the lab to the line. With Bozdoğan tightening control of the close fight and Gökdoğan extending reach into BVR, Turkey has established a national AAM pathway that strengthens readiness now and anchors the weapons roadmap for its fifth-generation fighter program.
