Israeli Concerns Over Turkish Missile Developments

Although Turkey poses a potential threat to Israel’s regional security, it does not always pose a direct military threat on a par with Iran. The bigger risk is an increasing political-military rivalry, proxy pressure in Syria, Eastern Mediterranean conflict, and Turkey exploiting its NATO position and defence industry to confine Israel diplomatically and militarily.

Israel and Turkey are publicly at odds more, with President Erdoğan claiming that Israeli attacks in Syria and Lebanon also pose a threat to Turkey, while Israeli commentary increasingly portrays Turkey as a rival in the region. This is significant because the conflict is now more than simply verbal; it is linked to the operational area that both nations have in Syria, where their interests may swiftly clash.

On July 4, 2026, Turkey successfully tested a version of the Typhoon Block 3, a ballistic missile designed to attack naval targets The test demonstrated a direct hit on a small naval target, approximately seven metres long, that was within hundreds of kilometres of the launch point. In contrast to targeting stationary land sites, an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) functions as part of a larger system. Its functionality depends on integrating a coastal surveillance network, naval and aerial resources, such as UAVs, submarines, and electronic warfare, to create a maritime situational picture and adjust the missile in flight. The naval command makes the launch decision, while the missile’s guidance persists through an uplink data channel, until impact and subsequent damage assessment (BDA). The new missile: Typhoon Block 3 A. It is an extended variant of the Typhoon Block 2, which began serial production at ROKETSAN in 2023.

The missile carries a warhead, probably a radar, safeguarded by a protected casing or a ceramic reentry cone that withstands thermal and mechanical stresses during atmospheric reentry and manoeuvring.

The focus in development was placed on the capability to accurately strike a moving small naval target at supersonic speeds and with a large warhead. Maximum range is in the region of 560-800 km, payload is estimated at 250-500 kg, with the warhead being derived from that of the ATMACA cruise missile. Estimates suggest that the homing head is an active radar system, based on the homing head of the ATMACA naval cruise missile, functioning at a Ku frequency with a projected antenna diameter of around 350 mm.

Arie Egozi