Before IDEF’23, which will open its doors to its visitors tomorrow, Roketsan held a press conference in Istanbul regarding the products it will exhibit for the first time at the fair.
Roketsan Chairman of the Board Prof. Dr. In the meeting attended by Faruk Yiğit and Roketsan General Manager Murat Second; mobile air defense system Burç, Turkey’s first air-to-ground ballistic supersonic missile IHA-230 fired from armed unmanned aerial vehicles (SİHA), long-range anti-tank missile system UMTAS-GM Blok-1, Infrared Imaging Seeker (IIR) and Semi-Active Laser (YAL) head configurations, UMTAS-GM-Block-2, KMC-UIR Weapon System and MCAM-U-I Weapon System.
Roketsan Chairman of the Board of Directors Yiğit stated in his speech that Roketsan exhibited its products after reaching certain levels, “We have about 40 products that we have not yet announced. Roketsan has taken a very serious leap towards increasing its capacity in recent years. In 2024, Roketsan will have at least doubled its 35-year capacity. Roketsan meets 32 percent of its turnover with exports. Our target is to reach 50 percent next year.” he said.
Roketsan General Manager Murat Second stated that they consider 2023 as the year of export and investment, and said that they are making a great effort to increase their exports.
Emphasizing that there are nearly 40 R&D projects carried out by Roketsan within itself, second said, “None of these are publicly announced projects. When the prototypes of the projects before the first production phase are successful, we share the projects with our people.” said.
After his speech, the second made a presentation on the products they will exhibit at IDEF’23 for the first time.
Mobile air defense system Bushing
According to the information given, the mobile air defense system Burç was developed with Roketsan’s own resources to be used in the air defense of mobile/fixed units and facilities in the battlefield and in the rear area. Burç, which uses 8 Sungur air defense missiles on 2 quadruple pods as its main weapon, is equipped with 20 mm 3-barreled cannon ammunition as an auxiliary weapon.
The system, which has 4 AESA Hemisphere Defense Radars, provides a complete peripheral safety net with its 360-degree turret rotation capability. In addition to providing data communication with command and control networks with JREAP-C protocol, Air Defense Early Warning and Command Control System [HERİKKS-6] interface and Friend-Foe Recognition [IFF] It can be integrated with its equipment. Thanks to the fact that the system can be used connected to an external early warning network, as well as being able to work independently with its own sensor systems, a multi-purpose usage comfort is provided to the user.
The system, which provides protection against fixed-wing aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), has a maximum effective range of 8 kilometers and a minimum of 500 meters and the ability to reach an altitude of 4 kilometers, together with Sungur.
The system, which is capable of detecting and tracking multiple targets at the same time with a 360-degree angle, will be able to meet many needs in today’s battlefield with its high mobility in difficult terrain conditions. The system, for which Roketsan completed the prototype production, was made ready for mass production. The system, which has a high domestic and nationality ratio, is preparing to take its place in the inventory of both domestic and friendly and allied countries with its cost-effectiveness.
Air-to-ground ballistic supersonic missile UAV-230
Roketsan aims to deliver the UAV-230 to a wide customer base in world markets. The inability of air defense systems to take countermeasures against the UAV-230, which reaches its target from a long range and above the speed of sound, makes this system stand out.
İHA-230, which is a cost effective product with a wide range range; It reaches the target at high speed, in a short time, from a high altitude. The UAV-230, which can operate day and night, is an effective force against fixed land and sea targets, air defense radar and communication systems, lightly armored land or sea vehicles, critical facilities such as command centers, personnel and opportunity targets. In addition, it is among the capabilities of the system to be able to hit a very critical target at close range up to 20 kilometers with instant intelligence in a matter of seconds.
While the operational area of use is determined as a maximum of 150 kilometers depending on the speed and altitude at which the missile is released, the fact that there is no other system that reaches this range from SİHAs makes it different from its competitors in the world. It is planned to add warheads such as thermobaric, semi-piercing, multi-purpose warheads against different target types to the UAV-230, which has a particle-effect warhead. In addition, studies are carried out on integrating the laser seeker head.
Before the system leaves the SİHA, it prepares for the mission by performing the firing preparation procedures. After being released from the SİHA, it makes a free fall in the air for a certain period of time and ignites the solid fuel engine autonomously. The UAV-230 is guided precisely to the target with its GNSS-supported inertial guidance capability against the jamming systems it has. Working with the “At-Forget” feature, the UAV-230 offers the user the opportunity to use it in critical missions without going deep into enemy positions. The verification and qualification studies of the system, for which development test shots were carried out, continue. Roketsan aims to add this system to its inventory in 2024.
UMTAS-GM Blok-1’s Infrared Imager Seeker and Semi-Active Laser head configurations
There are two different seeker head types in Roketsan’s UMTAS-GM Blok-1 product. The system, which can be used with IIR and YAL integration, can reach a range of 1 to 16 kilometers when fired from land vehicles and 1 to 20+ kilometers when fired from helicopters.
The UMTAS-GM Blok-1, which can reach 0.3-0.7 Mach flight speed and can be launched day or night, can be fitted with Tandem Anti Tank, High Explosive Particle Effect, Thermobaric warheads. Depending on the warhead type, the system can be used against main battle tanks, armored personnel carriers, trucks, land vehicles, light bunkers, trenches, buildings, and low-altitude helicopters.
UMTAS-GM Blok-1 offers security forces the ability to shoot from behind the suture by using its gliding ability. In this way, the target can be destroyed from safe distances without entering the firing range of enemy elements. The infrared imager seeker head configuration allows the user to direct the UMTAS-GM throughout the shot, thanks to its bidirectional RF data link, while the semi-active laser seeker configuration can be used within autonomous and external marking capabilities.
In the project that Roketsan engineers are working on, it is aimed that UMTAS-GM Blok-1 YAL will enter the inventory in the first quarter of 2024, and UMTAS-GM Blok-1 IIR will enter the inventory in the last quarter of 2024.
UMTAS-GM-Block-2
UMTAS-GM-Block-2, one of Roketsan’s innovative products, can reach a range of 1 to 32+ kilometers when fired from land vehicles and 1 to 50+ kilometers when fired from helicopters. UMTAS-GM-Block-2, which has the ability to be launched day and night, can be used against main battle tanks, armored personnel carriers, trucks, land vehicles, light bunkers, trenches, buildings, and helicopters flying at low altitudes, depending on the warhead type it has.
UMTAS-GM-Block-2 also offers the opportunity to shoot from behind the suture by using its thrust capacity and gliding ability. In this way, the target can be destroyed from safe distances without entering the firing range of enemy elements. UMTAS-GM-Block-2 will also be able to provide high-resolution battlefield images at different wavelengths, day and night, to the user, with the Hybrid Seeker Head on it.
In the project, which is in the design phase, it is aimed to start the tests of the system by 2025 and bring it into the inventory.
KMC-U weapon system
The KMC-U, which can launch the CİRİT Laser Guided Missile, UMTAS Long Range Anti-Tank Missile System and L-UMTAS Laser Guided Long Range Anti-Tank Missile System developed by Roketsan in the precision guided missile class, can also provide close protection with the 7.62mm Machine Gun on it.
The system leaves its rivals behind as it is the only weapon system in the world capable of firing 3 different types of missiles, both laser and IIR guided. KMC-U; With its high firepower and precision strike capability, it can be used against both armored and unarmored opportunity targets such as main battle tanks and lightly armored vehicles. The KMC-U, which is compatible with different weather and environmental conditions and has day and night reconnaissance/surveillance capabilities, allows the user to use it effectively in many battlefields with its features such as firing both at a standstill and while moving.
The KMC-U Weapon System, the foundations of which were laid in 2014 with Roketsan’s own resources, attracted the attention of the end users in a very short time with its precision strike capability, agility and operational capabilities, and started to be used intensively after the trial production and delivery of 3 units in 2016. While the success of the KMC-U was appreciated by the Turkish Armed Forces, a serial production contract was signed with the Presidency of Defense Industries for the mass production of the KMC-U weapon system on August 15, 2022.
In the system, whose development and nationalization activities are carried out in coordination with the TAF, many innovations such as updating both systemic and environmental conditions have been developed so far. In the future, it is aimed to integrate different missiles into the system and to realize the first export.
MAM-L IIR and MAM-T IIR
Roketsan continues to develop its MAM product family, which has proven its success in the field, with new features. MAM-L and MAM-T will now offer a low-cost solution for critical targets thanks to their increased range with IIR head and RF data link that can operate in accordance with the operational SİHA concept.
MAM-L and MAM-T, which have the “man-in-the-loop” operating principle with the integrated 2-way RF Datalink, can be managed by the operator through the ammunition seeker image throughout the flight. With its new features, both products will have superior capabilities than their competitors, such as locking before/after firing, updating targets in the air during flight, selecting ammunition trajectory according to target/environmental conditions, and being able to be used actively despite all environmental conditions such as cloud and rain.
While the MAM-L reaches a range of 15 kilometers with its laser pointer head, it has a range of 25+ kilometers with the IIR head; MAM-T, on the other hand, will be able to effectively hit a range of 50+ kilometers with its new head, while SİHAs reach a range of 30+ kilometers. In addition, the range of the MAM-T can be further increased with the addition of an opening wing for use with faster aircraft. On the other hand, within the scope of further diversifying the capabilities of the MAM-T IIR ammunition, it is aimed to start the first flight tests with the DUAL SEEKER (Seeker Head with IIR+TV) in 2024. MAM-L IIR and MAM-T IIR, which are rapidly integrated with the existing MAM infrastructure, are expected to enter the inventory in 2024.
