Monday, April 27th 2026
The short-range anti-tank weapon developed by Roketsan has completed a series of test firings simulating four operational scenarios, achieving direct hits in all cases.
When Turkish defense giant Roketsan completed test firings of its Karaok short-range anti-tank cruise missile, it marked yet another milestone in the country’s efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in the sector. military.
Roketsan simulated four different war scenarios with the Karaoku, which means black arrow, “achieving a direct hit” in each case.
“Fearless, sure to hit,” Roketsan company executive director Murat Ikinci wrote on social media, highlighting the power and accuracy of the Karaoku.
The main shooting results included direct hits at a distance of 76 and 400 meters, while the attacks from above were carried out at distances of 1,400 and 2,050 meters. This confirms the system’s flexibility in engaging different targets in different war scenarios.
According to Defense Turk, Karaok is classified as a short-range portable anti-tank missile, in the “shoot and forget” category. It is operated by a single soldier and can operate day and night thanks to its infrared seeker head.
The system weighs less than 16 kilograms, measures about 110 centimeters in length and is equipped with wings and folding cruciform fins that increase its portability and maneuverability.
The missile is equipped with a tandem warhead capable of piercing reactive armor, as well as with a domestically developed two-stage hybrid rocket engine (launch stage and flight stage), designed to allow firing from closed spaces.
The system offers a variety of engagement modes, including target engagement before or after launch, as well as the ability to execute direct or overhead strikes, targeting the weakest points of armored vehicles.
Karaok was marked on the export market in in 2023, after winning a tender issued by the Ministry of Defense of Malaysia, which required compliance with NATO standards. Under the deal, the Malaysian Army will be supplied with 18 launchers for the system, complete with missiles, to replace the Russian Metis-M systems currently in service.
Defense analyst Teoman E. Nijanci of military portal Army Recognition believes the tactical importance of the latest series of tests goes beyond strike accuracy.
It also lies in the nature of the scenarios in which the weapon was tested, which combined short-range engagements with different attack profiles.
The hit achieved at 76 meters is not just a numerical result – it reflects the testing of the system in conditions of sudden and close engagement, the most complex and dangerous environment in armored warfare, especially in complex terrain such as forest lines, fortified positions, urban outskirts and ambush sites.
The direct hit at 400 meters reinforces this. evaluation, as this distance represents a critical area of engagement that gives antitank teams very limited time to make decisions and execute the strike before the target can maneuver, seek supporting fire, or find cover.
In contrast, overhead strikes at 1,400 and 2,050 meters demonstrate the system’s ability to target the weakest points on the upper surfaces of armored vehicles while maintaining greater range. security for the launch team, thus reducing the risk of return fire.
Speaking to TRT Haber, defense industry expert Kubilay Yildirim explained that understanding the development path of Turkish anti-tank missile systems requires going back a few years, when Ankara was looking for, in addition to medium-range missiles, a system that a single soldier could easily carry and launch.
He noted that this path began in 1990 through the collaboration between a French company and the Corporation of Mechanical and Chemical Industry (MKE).
However, the project was canceled in 2004 due to problems on the other hand, prompting Türkiye to decide on local development. This paved the way for work on the Long-Range Anti-Tank Missile System (UMTAS).
Yildirim emphasized that the UMTAS project was launched with ambitious and distinctive requirements from the start, marking a crucial moment in the evolution of the Turkish defense industry.
A key step was the development of an uncooled thermal sensor with sufficient resolution and high thermal sensitivity that could be mounted on a missile at an acceptable cost, along with the creation of the infrastructure necessary to manufacture such sensors.
The challenges went further, including developing a data transmission system to send the image to the operator, the ability to control the missile in flight when required, and its ability to identify and hit its target autonomously in fire-and-forget mode.
Developing the processors and algorithms necessary for these functions represented a major test – and one of the most important qualitative achievements of the Turkish defense industry.
Yildirim explained that the medium-range OMTAS system stood out not only for its cruise architecture, but also for its flight and impact characteristics.
One of the essential requirements of the project from the beginning was that the missile was capable of being launched from confined spaces. This sought to ensure that no harm was caused to the operator, which was achieved by using a low-pressure launch motor.
He added that the system allows engagement of targets even when they are behind obstacles. Requirements also included the ability to hit the upper surfaces of armored vehicles, their weakest points, a capability successfully achieved by the OMTAS family.
Yildirim noted that the variety of launch, flight, cruise and impact options provide users with high flexibility. The missile can be launched from a hidden position, after which the team can quickly move and approach again from another location.
According to the expert, the operator can also control the missile in flight when it is launched from behind the shelter and redirect it to the most suitable target, either at distances exceeding four kilometers, in narrow areas, or even in urban environments at distances smaller than 100 meters.
He emphasized that the “attack from up” is one of the important capabilities of this type of missile, given its effectiveness in targeting the weakest points of armored vehicles.
Yildirim explained that after the development of the long-range UMTAS and medium-range OMTAS systems, there was a need for an anti-tank missile that a single soldier could easily carry and launch.
This led to the launch of the TEK AT project in 2010, which eventually resulted in the Karaok racket. The system entered service with military units between 2020 and 2021.
He added that one of the outstanding advantages of the Karaok is that it is lighter than its global counterpart, the Javelin, while possessing more advanced optical systems and sensors.
Although its weight is similar to that of the South Korean Raybolt, the Karaok offers a longer maximum range and a shorter minimum range. short, increasing its flexibility and effectiveness on the battlefield.
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Source: prizrenpost
Etiketa: Brief
