ASELSAN has cleared a major milestone in aircraft survivability with its YILDIRIM-100 Directed Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) system, confirming performance in a series of effectiveness trials that used live-warhead missiles. Designed to protect rotary- and fixed-wing platforms against modern IR-guided threats, YILDIRIM-100 disrupts an incoming missile’s seeker by projecting precisely steered, synchronized, multi-band laser energy, forcing the weapon off its intercept path. The result is an active protection layer that goes far beyond evasive maneuvers and expendables, significantly increasing the odds of aircraft survival in contested airspace.

Fully integrated with on-board missile warning systems and flare dispensers, YILDIRIM-100 employs a high-precision gimbal that rapidly slews to the threat line of sight, locks on, and delivers laser dazzling/jamming directly at the seeker. Its coordinated tracker and laser units maintain dwell on fast-closing targets across multiple wavebands, sustaining effect through the missile’s terminal phase. Low power consumption, high availability, and the ability to handle multiple, simultaneous threat scenarios make the system suitable for sustained operations and demanding mission tempos.

Marking ASELSAN’s 50th anniversary, YILDIRIM-100 places Türkiye among the few nations fielding indigenous, laser-based DIRCM technology at the top tier of capability. Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) head Haluk Görgün noted that the live-missile campaign validated the system’s technological maturity and advances Türkiye’s goal of safeguarding air platforms against guided-missile threats. He emphasized that the achieved level in laser technology is not a one-off achievement but a continuously expanding area of national competence.

Looking ahead, YILDIRIM-100 is expected to be configured for a wide range of platforms—from helicopters to fixed-wing aircraft and large UAV/UCAVs—strengthening a networked protection architecture for VIP transport, convoy escort, special missions, and long-endurance ISR. Coupled with Türkiye’s domestic sensor, warning, and countermeasure ecosystem, YILDIRIM-100 acts as a force multiplier in integrated aircraft self-protection, reducing risk while preserving mission effectiveness across complex, high-threat environments.