Turkey will deploy a homemade missile defence system in Idlib

Turkey will bring out its HISAR-A air defence system to support its game-changing drone warfare and repel the ground advances of the Russian-backed Assad regime in Idlib, according to the Defence Industries Presidency (SSB).

SSB president Ismail Demir announced on Tuesday that the HISAR-A system will be installed in the contested region within a week. 

In addition to HISAR-A, which covers low-altitude drone range, Demir said a medium-range HISAR-O will also be deployed soon. 

So what are the essential features of the HISAR air defence systems?

HISAR-A

The project started in 2007 and is part of the Turkish air defence technology HISAR.

It is capable of hitting targets within the range of 15 kilometres and at a ten-kilometre altitude. 

It allows the armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to navigate through the low-altitude air space and hit targets with precision by reducing the possibility of getting hit by low-flying helicopters and jets. 

It consists of a Self Propelled Autonomous Low Altitude Air Defence Missile System, Missile Launch System, Low Altitude Missile and Missile Transport and a Loading System, which developed by Turkish leading defence industry companies ASELSAN and ROKETSAN.

HISAR-A can detect and track targets by day and night and in bad weather conditions with the help of positioning and direction finding systems. It could easily integrate with the whole defence system and has a potent friend-enemy recognition system.

In March 2019, it had a hundred percent success rate in test-firings by hitting a high-speed target aircraft. Moreover, HISAR-A also hit the second target with the change of engagement after it fired at the first one.

HISAR-O

HISAR-O is capable of hitting long-distance targets at high altitudes. It could hit fighter planes, helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles and air-to-land missiles.

It can neutralise targets within a range of 25 kilometres with at least 18 missiles ready to launch. HISAR-O can simultaneously detect and track more than 60 warplanes within a range of 40-60 kilometres.

A land-based transportable system KORAL, which is capable of intercepting, jamming and deceiving radar systems, is also being used in operations.