Roketsan’s Sungur MANPADS Displayed at LandEURO 2025 Signals Türkiye’s Entry into Global SHORAD Market.

On July 17, 2025, during the LandEURO 2025 defense exhibition held in Wiesbaden, Germany, Türkiye’s Roketsan presented its indigenous Sungur man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) to a European audience for the first time. As the country’s first domestically developed MANPADS, the Sungur not only reflects Türkiye’s technological ambition but also its aspirations in the competitive global SHORAD (Short-Range Air Defense) segment. The system’s live-fire success and expanding operational footprint have drawn international interest, reinforcing Ankara’s growing role in defense innovation. Its presence at LandEURO 2025 marks a critical step in Sungur’s export trajectory and NATO interoperability prospects.
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The presentation of Roketsan’s Sungur MANPADS at LandEURO 2025 in Wiesbaden reflects not only Türkiye’s maturing defense industrial base but also a strategic recalibration in the global SHORAD market (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

The Sungur MANPADS, also known as the "Falcon," is a fifth-generation shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile system developed by Roketsan for mobile and fixed-unit air defense. Designed to counter threats at ranges up to 8 kilometers and altitudes reaching 4,000 meters, Sungur offers fire-and-forget capability and advanced imaging infrared (IIR) guidance for increased accuracy against modern threats such as fixed-wing aircraft and UAVs. Its flexibility across land vehicles, naval platforms, and UAVs, combined with user-friendly target acquisition interfaces, makes it a versatile solution for complex battle environments. With integration to Türkiye’s HERIKKS-6 command-and-control network and IFF capabilities, the system is aligned with NATO-compatible standards.

Initiated in 2013 under a Turkish Ministry of National Defense contract, Sungur was developed to address the operational gaps of legacy systems like the U.S.-made Stinger. Following extensive testing and evaluations, the first vehicle-mounted variant entered service in 2021, while shoulder-launched units were delivered to the Turkish Land Forces in July 2022. A live-fire test at the Sinop Test Range in July 2022 successfully demonstrated its precision against a Banshee Jet 80 drone, confirming its readiness for deployment. By March 2024, Turkish authorities confirmed multiple delivery phases had been completed, establishing Sungur as a central node in Türkiye’s new layered air defense doctrine.

Compared to similar systems such as the FIM-92 Stinger or Russia’s 9K333 Verba, Sungur holds notable technological and operational advantages. Its lock-on-before-launch mechanism via IIR seeker ensures greater immunity against countermeasures. While the Stinger remains reliant on IR/UV dual-band seekers, Sungur benefits from programmable fuzing and high-explosive semi-armour piercing warheads, offering improved lethality against evasive and lightly armoured airborne threats. In terms of range, Sungur matches or exceeds most of its competitors with a maximum reach of 8 kilometers. Where Verba offers comparable altitude coverage, Sungur’s multi-platform adaptability and early warning system integration provide superior network-centric warfare capabilities.

Strategically, Sungur’s introduction bolsters Türkiye’s ambition to achieve full autonomy in air defense manufacturing, while diversifying its export offerings beyond traditional armored and artillery systems. Its deployment enhances Turkish military survivability in asymmetric and hybrid threat environments, especially in contested airspace scenarios such as those encountered near the Syrian or Aegean theaters. Geopolitically, the system symbolizes Ankara’s commitment to technological self-reliance and reduces dependency on NATO imports, potentially reshaping procurement patterns among friendly or non-aligned states seeking affordable yet modern SHORAD systems. The growing interest in Sungur from foreign partners further supports its role as a soft-power tool in Turkish defense diplomacy.

The presentation of Roketsan’s Sungur MANPADS at LandEURO 2025 in Wiesbaden reflects not only Türkiye’s maturing defense industrial base but also a strategic recalibration in the global SHORAD market. Combining advanced guidance technology, operational versatility, and modular platform integration, Sungur is poised to challenge long-established systems while serving Türkiye’s broader geopolitical and industrial objectives. Its debut in Germany signals a deliberate shift from national deployment toward transnational competitiveness, with potential to redefine allied and partner choices in the evolving air defense landscape.