Turkey’s Secret Space Base in Somalia Signals New Missile Era, Alarming Israel

NAIROBI—Turkey is constructing a secret space base in Somalia that will significantly extend the range of its ballistic missiles, a strategic development that regional experts warn could alter military balances from the Red Sea to the eastern Mediterranean and pose a new challenge to Israeli security interests.

The facility, being developed under a groundbreaking security cooperation agreement between Ankara and Mogadishu, represents the latest expansion of Turkey’s influence across Africa—a geopolitical shift that has prompted urgent reassessments in Middle Eastern and Western capitals. According to experts familiar with the project, the base will enable Turkey to test advanced missile systems that cannot be adequately trialed within its own borders due to range limitations.

“If I were Israel, I would definitely be worried,” said Dr. Rashid Abdi, director of research at the Sahan Global think tank in Kenya, who revealed details of the project at the recent Africa-Israel Economic Forum. “Turkey signed a groundbreaking security cooperation agreement with Somalia. There are thousands of Turkish soldiers stationed there, and they are building a space base that will ultimately allow Turkey to improve the range of its ballistic missiles”.

Strategic Context and Regional Concerns

The Somalia space base project reflects Turkey’s strategic pivot toward Africa under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership, transforming what was once primarily a Mediterranean power into a growing presence in the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean. Turkish naval vessels now regularly patrol from the Suez Canal down along the Somali coast, demonstrating what Abdi characterizes as “blue water capabilities” that extend far beyond Turkey’s traditional sphere of influence.

“The main message for the State of Israel is that Israel cannot afford to stay out of Africa, out of the Red Sea arena, out of the western Indian Ocean,” Abdi warned in his address to forum participants. “Many of Israel’s strategic rivals are advancing very strongly on the continent right now” .

The project has sparked concern among Israeli officials and business leaders who see Turkey’s African expansion as part of a broader strategic challenge. Eugene Kandel, chairman of the Board of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, framed the development in stark terms at the same forum, stating, “Radical Islam operates in Africa too and tries to return Africa to conflict against the West. Israel must not let this happen” .

Technical Advantages and Missile Testing Capabilities

The Somali facility, overseen by the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), will occupy approximately 900 square kilometers along Somalia’s Indian Ocean coastline north of Mogadishu. The location offers significant advantages for both space exploration and weapons development.

Geographical benefits: Somalia’s proximity to the equator allows rockets to reach orbit with less fuel, providing greater payload capacity

Testing advantages: The extensive ocean range enables high-risk missile tests to be conducted far from populated areas or restricted airspace

Range expansion: Turkish authorities say their current testing range near Sinop on the Black Sea coast cannot accommodate tests of missiles with ranges greater than 700 kilometers

According to Turkish media reports, the spaceport will host testing for Turkey’s most advanced missile systems, including the Tayfun ballistic missile—Turkey’s longest-range domestically produced weapon. In initial testing, the Tayfun has reached distances of 561 kilometers, but President Erdoğan has stated ambitions to extend its range beyond 1,000 kilometers, a capability requiring the expansive test range the Somali facility would provide.

A more advanced version, the Tayfun Block 4, was recently unveiled at the IDEF 2025 defense expo in Istanbul. Described as a hypersonic ballistic missile capable of exceeding Mach 5, the Block 4 is nearly 10 meters long and weighs over 7 tons but has not yet undergone open-water testing .

Turkey’s Expanding Missile Arsenal

The Somalia facility represents the next logical step in the evolution of Turkey’s domestic missile program, which has progressed significantly in recent years:

Table: Turkey’s Key Ballistic Missile Systems

The Bora missile, developed by Turkey’s state-owned defense company Roketsan, has already seen combat deployment against PKK targets in northern Iraq. Its export version, known as Khan, has recently been delivered to Indonesia, marking Turkey’s growing presence in international arms markets.

Analysts note that Turkey views advanced missile capabilities as essential for its security needs. “Turkey’s missile-rich neighborhood necessitates developing adequate missile capabilities,” explained Dr. Can Kasapoglu, director of Defense and Security Research at the Istanbul-based think tank EDAM. He pointed to missile contingents in surrounding countries including Syria, Iran, Armenia, and Russian forces in Crimea as factors driving Ankara’s weapons development.

Broader Engagement in Somalia

The space base project builds upon more than a decade of deepening Turkish involvement in Somalia that has transformed the bilateral relationship:

• Military Presence: Turkey operates its largest overseas military base, Camp TURKSOM, in Mogadishu, where it has trained thousands of Somali troops since 2017
• Economic Investment: Turkish companies have invested heavily in infrastructure projects including port development and modernization
• Resource Exploration: Turkish energy firms have secured agreements for both offshore and onshore hydrocarbon exploration in Somalia

Maritime Security: A February 2025 agreement established a joint naval force to patrol Somali waters for 10 years, combating piracy and protecting resources

This comprehensive engagement has positioned Turkey as one of Somalia’s most influential international partners, with relations extending to diplomatic mediation. When tensions flared between Somalia and Ethiopia over Addis Ababa’s controversial maritime deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland, Ankara hosted eight months of negotiations culminating in a meeting between Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, brokered by Erdoğan.

Regional Dynamics and International Response

The Turkish-Somali space base agreement occurs against a backdrop of intensified competition for influence in the Horn of Africa, with multiple middle-tier powers including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, China, and Russia vying for strategic footholds in the region.

Analysts suggest the project reflects Turkey’s broader effort to develop missile systems in the 1,000 to 3,000-kilometer range and reduce reliance on foreign test facilities while simultaneously strengthening Ankara’s posture as a global defense supplier.

Despite the project’s scale and potential regional implications, Somali media have reported little public debate. Some Somali lawmakers have requested further details, but the government has not disclosed technical plans or environmental impact assessments. No neighboring countries have issued formal statements about the missile testing plans, though analysts note the dual-use nature of the facility could raise concerns in an increasingly competitive regional environment.

For Israel, the development represents another front in its complex relationship with Turkey, which has veered between cooperation and confrontation over the past decade. As Shiri Fein-Grossman, CEO of the Israel-Africa Relations Institute, noted at the recent forum, “Israel can make a tremendous difference in Africa at a relatively low investment”—a comment that reflects Israeli recognition of the need to counter Turkey’s expanding influence.

The Somalia space base project illustrates how the geopolitics of the Middle East are increasingly intersecting with strategic competition in Africa, with Turkey’s ambitious foreign policy creating new facts on the ground that other regional powers must now account for in their security calculations.