Roketsan, a major Turkish weapons manufacturer and defense contractor is continuing its research into the dual-search [hybrid seeker] and VLS configurations of the Atmaca anti-ship missile, according to sources in Turkey,
The missile can be launched from vertical submarine launch systems. Since the start of the project, many significant steps have been completed by the Roketsan to reach these goals.
Rocketsan previously delivered a standard Atmaca anti-ship missile with a radio frequency seeker to the Turkish Navy, while today it continues to develop a domestic imaging infrared [IIR] seeker to be integrated into the missile, with plans for the company by the end of the 2022 year to start tests.
The Turkish company’s plans are to create a hybrid dual-seeker [IIR + RF] during the IIR development process for the Atmaca missile, which will provide the future anti-ship missile with high precision and accuracy in hitting enemy targets.
In parallel with the development of the hybrid seeker, Roketsan is developing a version of the rocket to be launched from a vertical submarine launch system.
According to some Turkish sources, one of the main goals is also to launch an anti-ship missile from a torpedo tube.
Atmaca anti-ship missile
The G / M project for guided missiles Atmaca was launched in 2009 to meet the needs of anti-ship missiles of the Turkish Navy Command with domestic and national resources.
In this context, the 250+ km anti-ship missile with active range radar head, developed under the main contractor Roketsan, was first launched by Migem TCG Kinalida [F-514] Corvette in November 2019, after extensive test activities. During this shooting test, Atmaca successfully hit a fixed target on the sea surface.
During another test, conducted on June 18, 2021, the Atmaca missile was launched from the corvette Kinalida and for the first time hit a real ship’s target and the ship’s target sank.
The Atmaca anti-ship missile is to replace the 140-kilometer Harpoon anti-ship missile range [US] in the inventory of the Turkish Navy Command.