The appearance of Türkiye’s Bombardier Global-based Hava SOJ (stand-off jammer) electronic attack aircraft in a video celebrating the 115th anniversary of the Turkish Air Force provided the clearest view so far of the aircraft post-conversion. Some believe that this means that delivery may be imminent.
On 1 June 2026 the Turkish Ministry of National Defence (MND – Millî Savunma Bakanlığı) posted a promotional video celebrating the 115th anniversary of the Turkish Air Force (Türk Hava Kuvvetleri – THK) on its official X account. The video included a one second clip of the first Hava SOJ aircraft (TC-SJB) in flight. Some reports call the type the ASOJ 23-A.
At least two of the four Hava SOJ aircraft were noted flying on 20 February 2026 and the pace of development appears to be accelerating after early programme delays. These were blamed, in part, on a withdrawal of Canadian system integration support as a result of embargoes on Turkey.
Work on a homegrown replacement for the Turkish Air Force’s existing stand-off jamming capability – two converted Transall C-160 turboprop-powered transport aircraft, 69-029 and 69-036, upgraded to the MilKar-2U (Milli Karıştırma/National Jamming-2U) standard – began in the 2006-2010 timeframe under the so-called Hava SOJ programme. Some early graphics showed a Gulfstream-based platform before the Global Express was selected.
Some consideration was briefly given to fielding an interim airborne stand-off jammer capability under the Golge (Shadow) programme using two Global Express-based systems, but the Golge programme was reportedly terminated in 2017. Aselsan was awarded a contract for mission equipment for the Hava SOJ programme in 2018, when it was anticipated that deliveries to the Turkish Air Force would begin in 2023.
The first of four Bombardier Global 6000 airframes for the Hava SOJ programme were delivered to in 2019 Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which will integrate local mission payloads provided by Aselsan. Photographs of the unmodified ‘green’ airframes were widely published, but it was only this year that any images of the converted aircraft were seen.
The first of four Bombardier Global 6000 airframes for the Hava SOJ programme were delivered to in 2019 Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which will integrate local mission payloads provided by Aselsan. Photographs of the unmodified ‘green’ airframes were widely published, but it was only this year that any images of the converted aircraft were seen.
The Hava SOJ is likely to feature electronic support and electronic attack subsystems, a defensive aids suite, a communications and tactical datalink package and a mission management subsystem. All critical mission equipment, software and special algorithms will be supplied by Aselsan.
The Hava SOJ is designed primarily to suppress hostile air defence surveillance systems, detecting, locating and identifying hostile air-, land- and sea-based emitters (radar/communications) and deceiving/jamming them. Aselsan states, “Standoff Jamming (SOJ) platforms are high-value assets that suppress adversary air defence radars, disrupt command-and-control cycles and interfere with communications by conducting deception and noise jamming from long ranges without entering hostile airspace. By doing so they create corridors through which friendly air forces can penetrate enemy airspace. The effective employment of these platforms has become an undeniable reality of modern warfare, acting as a force multiplier and generating powerful asymmetric effects.”
The world’s last flying military C-160 was one of the Turkish Air Force’s two MilKar-2U aircraft, 69-029, known as ‘The Last Mohican’. This made its historic last flight on 26 March 2026 at the 12th Air Main Jet Base in Kayseri. Since then, the air force has had a significant capability gap, which may soon be filled by the Hava SOJ.
