Aiming High in the
Pursuit of Precision
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Turkey celebrates its 100th anniversary as a republic in 2023. A goal has been set that aims to place the country within the world’s top 10 economies by that time. A key contributor in that effort is the defence technology sector, which is expected to generate significant exports to boost the country’s economic enhancement. As Turkey’s leading developer and provider of precision-guided armament, Roketsan will play a crucial part in that drive for a significant increase in exports. The company has already made great strides along that path, not only through the development of state-of-the-art weapons to equip the Turkish Armed Forces, but also through export achievements. The company has its own plan, a vision for 2035, in which it will develop the weapons that are demanded by both the domestic and international armed forces in the future. Its ambition is to break into the top 50 defence companies in the World.
Agile Technology for current and Future needs SOM Stand-Off Missile
Since then, the company’s innovation has led to the development of numerous systems based on the latest technology, with the drive for precision targeting and enhanced combat effectiveness at the core of ongoing development. That has resulted in artillery rockets and missiles for a growing range of applications across air, land and sea domains.
At the same time, the company has been tasked with designing and developing the rockets that will take Turkey into
Air-lAunched weAPons In recent times, the company’s air-launched precision weapons have raised the company’s international profile. The first of them to be brought to market was the Cirit laser-guided general purpose missile, which completed its qualification in 2011. This
MAM-L smart micro-munition space, through a programme to launch indigenously developed satellites for both civil and military applications. The company is currently involved in the second development phase of the Turkish Air Force’s Space Launch System programme.
TRG-122 missile
“To become a leading organization in rocket and missile systems, from the depths of the sea all the way to space… and we’re continuing to work successfully in line with this vision.” That is how Roketsan’s President and CEO Selcuk Yasar describes the task of the company. Roketsan began supplying rocket motors for manpad air defence missiles in early 1990s and artillery rocket systems to the military from the late 1990s, but it has already underlined its taste for innovation by being the first company to introduce composite solid fuel.
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weapon represented an all-new approach to the provision of precise targeting with low collateral damage effects, and has been supplied to both Turkish and international forces. Roketsan also developed the OMTAS and UMTAS latest generation fire and forget anti-tank missiles, which are now qualified, along with the laser-guided L-UMTAS. Illustrating the company’s innovation, Roketsan has taken the key components from L-UMTAS and created MAM-L, an unpowered small munition for use from light aircraft and armed UAVs. Employing a similar process, the company has developed a smaller munition known as MAM-C using
the guidance system derived from the successful Cirit weapon. Rapidly amassing a wealth of experience in guidance systems, Roketsan was also able to develop a new ‘flagship’ product, the SOM Stand-Off Missile. Developed with Tubitak-SAGE from 2006, the SOM entered into service with the Turkish Air Forces in 2012, giving a significant destruction capability with a long-range precision attack capability. Subsequently, the SOM-J derivative has been under development with Lockheed Martin to provide internal carriage capability for the Lockheed Martin F-35. Another high-profile product, TEBER, a family of bomb guidance kits that convert standard unguided gravity bombs into precision munitions. The initial GPS-guided version has been joined in production by a GPS/laser kit.
UMTAS imaging infraredguided anti-tank missile
the drive for exports not only plays a part in increasing Roketsan’s business, but also helps fuel further development of weapon systems. As part of this drive, the company has already established many collaborations and partnerships with other manufacturers to integrate its weapons on to their platforms; as well as co-develop new weapon systems. Some examples are; the teaming with Lockheed Martin for the co-production and co-marketing of SOM-J, and a teaming with Airbus Defence and Space for the integration of Roketsan weapons such as TEBER and L-UMTAS on
OMTAS man-portable anti-tank missile system
Meeting deMAnd Agile, innovative and proficient, Roketsan has proven its ability to develop systems rapidly to meet new requirements. Furthermore, by increasing the design and development of its own sub-systems, it has significantly reduced its reliance on outside sources - in line with Turkey’s overall vision for its defence and aerospace industries. At the same time, greater indigenization also provides for greater export potential by removing the need to satisfy external regulations such as ITAR. Building capability in all fields of munition production; such as warheads, fuzes, motors and guidance, allows Roketsan to develop new products more rapidly TRG-300 missile
through the adaptation of existing components. Much of the investment in sub-systems comes from the company itself, and is a cornerstone of its ability to rapidly meet new requirements. The company assigns a significant proportion of its funds to R&D, and is highly active in collaborations with academic institutions. Making systems and sub-systems that employ the very latest technologies and innovations permits Roketsan to compete in the international market at a higher level, while offering competitive pricing and through-life product support - in other words, long term after sale support that is now expected by customers around the world. While the domestic customer remains a central element of Roketsan’s business and has resulted in the company playing a major role in national projects such as the Altay main battle tank programme;
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the armed version of the C295W tactical transport aircraft.
other cAPAbilities While its precision missiles, artillery rockets, bombs and munitions are the most obvious of Roketsan’s activities, the company also specializes in several other fields related to ordnance, leveraging the company’s extensive experience in the field. Among them is a portfolio of ballistic protection systems for vehicles and installations. In 2015 Roketsan completed Firing Test and Evaluation Centre Project at Karapinar - Konya, a facility constructed to international standards to conduct weapons trials. Equipped with a comprehensive range of command and control, tracking and recording systems, the facility not only provides a secure environment for Turkish national weapons testing, but is also available for use by international customers.
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The Cirit laser-guided missile is already employed by attack helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft
Martin F-35. As well as a reshaping, there are other improvements such as the addition of network-enabled capability and a new multi-effects warhead that has semi-armour piercing capability with a blast fragmentation effect for soft targets.
lAser-guided generAl PurPose Missile, cirit One of Roketsan’s most successful products has been the Cirit laser-guided missile, which has been supplied to the Turkish Armed Forces and international customers such as the UAE. The weapon is a laser-guided missile, but rather than being an adaptation of laser guidance to an existing unguided weapon, Cirit has all-new components. The SOM-J is a version of SOM tailored for internal carriage by the F-35
Capable Products to Meet demanding requirements Roketsan has already developed a wide portfolio of products to meet domestic and international requirements for weaponry across air, sea and land domains. Thanks to the company’s approach to developing modular technologies that can be applied to create systems that meet differing requirements using the same building blocks, development times have been kept short, while providing a platform for a further expansion of the company’s product range.
stAnd-oFF Missile Development of the SOM started in the mid-2000s to provide the Turkish Air Forces with a long-range, precision air-tosurface attack capability. A first flight was performed in 2011 and serial production got underway in 2013. Powered by a small jet engine, the SOM has a stealthy shape for low observability and a high-precision navigation system that allows it to strike targets at over a 250 km range. The mid-course guidance system includes inertial, GPS and terrain-referencing elements - with terminal guidance being provided by an imaging infrared system with data fusion technology. A datalink allows the weapon to be retargeted while in flight and it has
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both target-of-opportunity and in-flight mission selection capability. A range of impact profiles can be selected. SOM has been developed in missile family concept: the SOM-A and SOM-B1 with a high-explosive blast fragmentation warhead for use with the F-4E 2020 Phantom and F-16 Fighting Falcon, respectively, both of which are operational with the missile; and the SOM-B2 which has a dual-stage tandem penetrator warhead for hard targets. An important derivative is the SOM-J, the designing of which began in 2014. This version employs the same guidance system as SOM, but is redesigned for internal carriage in the weapons bay of the Lockheed SOM Stand-Off Missile carried by Turkish Air Force F-16
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With a range of 8 km, Cirit leads its class in terms of range and offers significant combat effectiveness through its multipurpose warhead, with high-explosive and thermobaric warheads available as options. Employing a MEMS inertial system to provide mid-course guidance, Cirit has a semi-active laser seeker that is compatible with a range of designation systems, and can be carried by any platform with a Mil Std 1760 interface. Initially developed to arm the T-129 Atak and AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters of the Turkish Army, Cirit has subsequently been integrated with the AT-802 Border Patrol aircraft of the UAE, and work continues on further integrations. Roketsan has teamed with Airbus to place the weapon on the H135M and H145M helicopters, as well as the C295W tactical transport. Integration work is underway with the Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter.
A truly versatile weapon, Cirit is also capable of arming large scale UAVs and of being used both on land and at sea. Roketsan has developed a pedestalmounted version complete with integrated sensor mast for mobile land forces, and has demonstrated its ability to be fired from both fixed and mobile land installations. Similarly, the weapon has considerable application for a variety of naval vessels.
Anti-tAnk Missiles One of Roketsan’s major programmes is its anti-tank missile family, which has been developed in accordance with the Turkish Army requirements, but also offers significant export potential. The family
comprises the medium-range (4 km) OMTAS weapon and the long-range (8 km) UMTAS - the latter being available with either imaging infrared or laser guidance.
Based on L-UMTAS, the MAM-L is a micro-munition primarily for UAV applications
vessels, UAVs and, most importantly, attack helicopters. Serial production is to start soon, with the T-129 Atak helicopter being the primary platform to carry the weapon initially. It has also been integrated to the Turkish Navy’s SH-60 Seahawk helicopter. In the meantime, Roketsan has qualified another version with a semi-active laser seeker, known as L-UMTAS. This weapon is in service with the T-129 helicopter, which can carry a mixed load of laserand IIR-guided UMTAS missiles. Moreover, the L-UMTAS is entirely compatible with the Cirit laser-guided missile, both weapons able to use the same laser designation systems and sources. The use of L-UMTAS from the TAI Hurkus light attack/trainer aircraft has been demonstrated.
The OMTAS offers antitank capability out to a range of 4 km
company took the gamble of developing this weapon with its own funds, and was rewarded with a Turkish Armed Forces contract in 2016. The weapon now arms Bayraktar and Karayel UAVs. MAM-L is, in effect, an unpowered version of the L-UMTAS, glides in air, and features the same laser seeker, body diameter and guidance system. It weighs just 22 kg, compared to the 38 kg of the powered missile, and is only a meter in length. It has obvious applications to the UAV world, but can also be used by light manned attack aircrafts. Its compact dimensions allow it to be carried in tandem arrangements and in clusters.
Micro-Munitions And sMArt boMbs
Following the success of MAM-L, Roketsan is now in development of the MAM-C weapon. An even smaller munition, only 8.5 kg.that is based on the 70-mm body diameter of the Cirit laser-guided missile.
Drawing on the technology and subsystems employed in L-UMTAS, Roketsan has developed a smart micro-munition known as MAM-L. Having identified a clear demand for a small precision weapon that could be launched from UAVs, the
Another laser-guided air-launched weapon that has been developed by Roketsan is the TEBER. This is a bomb guidance kit that modifies 250-lb Mk 81 and 500-lb Mk 82 unguided bombs into weapons capable of precision targeting. The kit comprises
L-UMTAS is the laser-guided version of Roketsan’s long-range (8 km) anti-tank weapon
Now in serial production, OMTAS is a new-generation anti-tank weapon system that employs an imaging infrared seeker with automatic target-tracking capability. As well as offering a fire-and-forget mode, it has a datalink that allows inflight targetswitching. In its basic form, OMTAS is a man-portable, tube-launched weapon fired from a tripod that also mounts the sighting system and control unit. However, it can also be pedestal-mounted on vehicles, and forms part of the Turkish Army’s Anti-Tank Vehicle programme. Employing the same IIR seeker as the OMTAS, the longer-ranged UMTAS is intended for application to a variety of platforms; including vehicles, naval
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HISAR-A is the low-altitude version, with a range of 15 km and engagement altitude envelope of 30 to 5,000 meters, while the HISAR-O is the medium-altitude missile offering engagement out to 25 km and heights of between 50 and 10,000 meters. Both employ vertical launch and offer 360° coverage. They are equipped with an imaging infrared seeker and a two-way radio frequency datalink, and feature a laser proximity-fuzed directed warhead. Mid-course guidance is provided via the datalink and by an inertial system. Power comes from a dual-pulse motor that provides extra energy during the end-game of the engagement.
HISAR is being developed in two versions for air defence duties of three main components. In the new tail section are moveable fins for control and a GPS/inertial guidance system that can provide a level of precision guidance using both GPS and INS systems, either singly or in unison. For a greater level of accuracy – offering a CEP of less than 3 metres – is a laser seeker mounted in the nose section. This permits the engagement of moving targets with great precision, even if they are travelling at speed on land or at sea. The seeker also has the option of being fitted with a height of burst function. The final elements of the TEBER kit comprise conduits that link the nose and tail sections, and a wrapround fin strake attachment that adds lift and controllability, permitting a turning maneuver capability of up to 3 g.
HISAR made its first firing in September 2013 and continues to undertake a programme of test firings as it nears production-ready status. In December 2016 the missile successfully demonstrated its dual-pulse capability for the first time. The missile can be fired from elevating four-round launchers mounted on vehicles or naval vessels, and is intended in its land-based application primarily to provide army formations with a mobile air defence capability against targets that range from The Teber kit adds laser and inertial/GPS guidance to Mk 81 and Mk 82 warheads
HİSAR-U, The High Altitude Air Defence Missile System contract has just been signed and Roketsan is one of the subcontractors.
Artillery rockets And Missiles A key area of expertise for Roketsan, and one that has brought it significant sales success is the field of artillery rockets and associated systems. The company has developed a range of 107-mm, 122-mm, 230-mm and 300-mm artillery rockets and missiles; and a family of launcher systems that can fire them. It has also developed the 610-mm Khan long-range missile system. Weighing in at 6,500 kg, this missile is fired from a truck-mounted canister, of which two are typically carried. It has GPS-aided inertial guidance to deliver its 470-kg highexplosive/fragmentation effect warhead with accuracy over a considerable distance. It has a proximity fuze for optimum effect, with a point detonation back-up. Standard unguided artillery rockets in the Roketsan range include the 107-mm TR-107 with a range of over 11 km, and the 122mm TR-122 with a range of 36 km when fired from sea level. The TRB-122 is a version with an HE/steel ball warhead. Roketsan’s artillery rocket development programme naturally led it to guided missiles, beginning with the TRG-300 Tiger that features GNSS/inertial guidance. This weapon weighs 585 kg and has an effective range from 30 km to 120 km. The 105-kg
Khan is a long-range missile for maximum firepower
Air deFence A sector that has recently been added to Roketsan’s core competencies is that of air defence, through the development of the HISAR surface-to-air missile family. Engineered to meet the low- and medium-altitude air defence requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces, the HISAR family draws on a common electronics architecture and common interface.
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conventional fixed-wing aircraft to LSS (low, slow, small) threats such as UAVs, cruise missiles and air-to-ground missiles.
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steel ball warhead is effective over a radius of around 70 meters. Able to be delivered with an accuracy of less than 50 meters, the Tiger is intended to bring heavy firepower against high-payoff targets. The same philosophy has also been applied to the 122-mm weapon to create the TRG-122 and TRG-230, a 70 km range missile.
The T-122/300 Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher system can fire either 122 mm rockets/missiles, 230 mm missiles, 300 mm missiles and 610 mm missiles
In addition to developing the rockets/ missiles themselves, Roketsan has also devised mobile launch platforms for them, to form complete artillery weapon systems. The T-107/122 Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher system can launch 60 TR-107s or 20 TR/TRB/ TRG-122s. The T-122 rocket/ missile can be fired from 40-round launchers
Submarine Warfare (ASW) Rocket and its associated launch system. Designed for use aboard new-generation patrol boats, the rocket itself weighs 35.5 kg and has a 12-kg warhead. It has an effective range of 500 to 2,000 meters, and a detonation range of depths between 15 and 300 meters. The launcher system is integrated with the parent vessel’s sonar system and employs an automatic laying system that draws on vessel-supplied data. The depth of detonation is controlled by a time fuze, programmed automatically by the system.
Meanwhile, the T-122/300 MBRL system permits TRG-122, TRG-230, TRG-300 guided missiles and KHAN Missiles to be fired by a single system, in turn allowing a range coverage of between 3 km and 280 km. The rockets/missiles are stored and mounted in sealed pods, sensors in the trailer cradle detecting which type of ammunition has been loaded and adjusting the fire control system accordingly. Capacity of the system is two twenty-round pods for the TRG-122 or two six-round pods for TRG-230 or two double-round pods for the TRG-300. T-122/300 can also carry and fire one round KHAN missile. A typical battery would have six T-122/300 MBRL launchers accompanied by command and control, ammo supply, repair and MET vehicles. Offering the same level of firepower in a single unit is the MCRL-122/300 multi cradle multi caliber multi launch rocket system, which can be operated by just three soldiers. Operated either remotely or from the protected vehicle cab, the MCRL-122/300
Each launcher can be armed with six rockets, which can be fired in singles or in a salvo, with a 0.8-second interval between launches. The rocket’s motor and warhead are IM (insensitive munition) rated for greater safety for platforms.
bAllistic Protection
TRG-230 missile has four cradles on the missile trailer, which between them can mount 240 rounds of 107-mm or 122-mm rockets/missiles, 16 rounds of 300-mm rockets/missiles. Each of the four launching cradles can be aimed independently in a fan, allowing the system to provide an effective coverage of a 2 x 2-km area.
A natural development from its core business, Roketsan has entered into the world of protective systems. The main impetus was being tasked with creating a Ballistic Protection Centre to develop the protective systems required for the Altay national main battle tank programme. As well as providing state-of-the-art simulation and modeling for devising protective systems, the centre also has extensive Also known as the Tiger, the TRG-300 missile has GNSS/inertial guidance
nAvAl weAPons A number of Roketsan’s weapon systems can be used effectively at sea, such as the Cirit and UMTAS laser-guided munitions. However, the company has also developed a dedicated naval weapon called the Anti-
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laboratories and outdoor ranges for the analysis of live threats. Based on this work Roketsan has developed a range of ERA (explosive reactive armour) solutions for not only the Altay tank, but also for other battlefield armoured vehicles. Further development has resulted in the creation of ceramic armour solutions for helicopters, lighter vehicles and vessels, while RPG cage-style protection has been developed to protect a range of platforms against the prevalent RPG threat. Another area in which Roketsan has been working is the development of force protection systems for keeping military bases safe from explosive, small arms and RPG attacks.
sub-systeM technologies As part of its business of engineering missiles and rockets Roketsan has amassed extensive experience and know-how in the components that go into modern munitions. As well as being used in the company’s own products, they can be employed in other systems and in modernizing existing munitions. They include warheads using several types of explosives and configurations to meet many requirements and achieve
Roketsan has devised a series of protective systems for the Altay tank, including reactive armour many types of effects. The company also produces a range of fuze options to meet operational demands. Another Roketsan development is its Base Bleed Unit that extends the effective range of classic 155-mm/52 howitzer ammunition by around 30 percent.
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The CEO reported that the company had around 60 ongoing development projects, including several related to completely Roketsan produces a wide range of fuzes (illustrated) and other munition sub-systems
Roketsan has established an impressive portfolio of world-class products in a short time, but the company has no plans to slow down the pace of development, either in
new products. “Excluding fuzes, we’ve about 25 products right now.” he added. “Over the next six or seven years we’ll be adding around 20 products to these. Thanks to our past experience and our rising level of technological readiness we can launch products within shorter timeframes.”
The Anti-Submarine Warfare Rocket is effective down to a depth of 300 metres
roketsan Kemalpaşa Mahallesi Şehit Yüzbaşı Adem Kutlu Sokak No:21 06780 Elmadağ, ANKARA, TURKEY Phone: + 90 (312) 860 55 00 Fax:+ 90 (312) 863 42 08 email: marketing@roketsan.com.tr
www.roketsan.com.tr
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continuing to improve its existing systems or in the development of new ones.
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