Missile SOM

Development of the SOM air-launched cruise missile family began in 2006, with the system first publicly revealed in June 2011. The missile completed its first guided flight over the Black Sea in August 2011. Early production models utilized a French turbojet engine, but following export restrictions, a domestic Turkish turbojet engine was developed and integrated into production missiles starting in 2022. The missile entered serial production in October 2018. A variant designated SOM-J was developed for integration into the internal weapons bays of the F-35 Lightning II, though integration status became uncertain following Turkey's removal from the aircraft program in 2019.

The SOM is an autonomous, air-launched cruise missile designed to engage stationary and moving land and maritime targets at stand-off ranges. The missile's airframe features composite materials and geometric shaping to reduce its radar cross-section. Primary guidance is provided by GPS, supplemented by an inertial navigation system and terrain-referenced navigation. For terminal guidance, an imaging infrared seeker matches target signatures against an onboard database. If GPS signals are degraded or denied, the missile can navigate using waypoint snapshots taken by the infrared seeker. A two-way datalink allows for in-flight retargeting.

Several variants exist with distinct warhead and guidance packages. The SOM-A utilizes GPS and inertial guidance with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead. The SOM-B1 adds an imaging infrared seeker to the same warhead type, while the SOM-B2 features a tandem-charge warhead designed to penetrate hardened structures. The SOM-C1 and SOM-C2, both developed for mobile targets, utilize high-explosive fragmentation and tandem-charge warheads respectively, and incorporate a datalink for man-in-the-loop updates. The SOM-J is configured with a semi-armour-piercing warhead for maritime targets and also includes a datalink.

The missile is operated by Turkey and Azerbaijan. In Turkish service, the weapon is integrated onto the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-4E 2020, with integration planned for the Bayraktar Akıncı uncrewed combat aerial vehicle. Turkey has ordered the missile system in quantity. Azerbaijan acquired the system and conducted its first launch test in April 2025, utilizing missiles equipped with the domestic Turkish engine after French export blocks prevented the acquisition of earlier engine variants. Guided flight testing of the SOM-J variant against maritime targets occurred in March 2025, followed by a live-warhead test against a designated target in March 2026.