Turkey Deploys New Gurz Hybrid Air Defense System Following Live-Fire Test
Turkey's new Gurz hybrid air defense system has begun operational deployment after a successful live-fire test. Developed by Aselsan, the mobile platform combines missiles and cannons to counter aerial threats.
Turkey's new domestically produced air defense system, the Gurz, has recently begun operational deployment in the field after successfully completing a live-fire test on September 5, 2026. According to an announcement by Turkish defense manufacturer Aselsan, the test was a resounding success and the system is now ready to transform the battlefield landscape.
The Gurz offers multi-layered, short-range air defense against a wide variety of threats, all from a single mobile platform. The hybrid system combines interceptor missiles alongside cannons and is designed to provide an umbrella of protection for maneuvering forces and strategic installations.
Operational Capabilities and Advanced Radar
According to the manufacturing company, the test demonstrated exceptionally high success rates in terms of target identification and continuous tracking. The system's advanced four-faced radar, optics packages, and communication systems functioned exactly as expected. The Goksur interceptor missile launched during the test performed exceptionally complex maneuvers and successfully followed its planned trajectory.
"If there is a threat in the sky, the Gurz stands against it. By providing short-range air defense from a single vehicle, Aselsan's Gurz will be a game-changer against various aerial threats," the company wrote in a social media post, as cited in a report by the Anadolu Agency.
System Configuration and Technical Specifications
The unique system unites capabilities developed in the company's previous programs into a single platform. The vehicle carries a Korkut 35mm cannon, along with launchers mounted on its rear carrying four Sungur missiles and four Goksur missiles. This combination enables the simultaneous operation of multiple types of interceptors from the same platform.
The version showcased in the recent test footage is a configuration that previously appeared at the SAHA EXPO defense exhibition in May 2026. Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol boasted at the time that the system had become a finished product set to enter active service during the following year. The current live-fire operation forms a central part of the operational verification process as the system transitions from a prototype to mass serial production.
Military experts view the Gurz as an advanced alternative adapted to NATO standards, effectively serving as a direct Turkish response to Russia's Pantsir system. The Turkish Land Forces and Air Force have already placed orders for the system, which is expected to be delivered on 6x6 and 8x8 vehicle configurations.
