Türkiye fires anti-ship missile in 1st homegrown turbojet engine test
Ankara, March 11, AZERTAC
Türkiye announced on Sunday that its first domestically manufactured maritime missile successfully hit its target in an inaugural test utilizing the nation's first indigenous turbojet engine, according to Daily Sabah.
The test aimed to verify the domestically developed subsystems and components within the framework of the Atmaca missile project, which Roketsan developed under the auspices of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB).
A video shared by the SSB showed Atmaca being fired from a mobile launcher in Türkiye's northernmost province, Sinop, before hitting a target in the Black Sea.
The missile was equipped with the nation's first domestically manufactured turbojet engine, KTJ-3200, developed by Kale Arge.
"Listen to the sound that leads us to the future; that sound will propel us forward," said Haluk Görgün, the head of the SSB.
"Our national platforms reinforced by indigenous engines are accelerating our defense industry's goal of full independence and changing the game on the field," Görgün wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
"I extend my heartfelt congratulations to everyone involved in the project, especially our engineers and technical teams."
Atmaca is touted as a high-precision, long-range, surface-to-surface, precision strike anti-ship missile that can be integrated with patrol boats, frigates and corvettes.
The Turkish Naval Forces' inventory has long included the U.S.-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles. They are expected to be replaced by the Atmaca missiles, which boast a range of more than 250 kilometers (155 miles) and pose a threat to targets far outside visual range.
It also provides target update, reattack and mission abort capabilities via modern data link.
The missile's development began in 2009, and in 2018, the SSB and Roketsan signed a deal for mass production.
Atmaca missiles are expected to be used on corvettes built under Türkiye's National Ship (MILGEM) project, along with other vessels and submarines currently using Harpoon missiles.
The missile is effective against fixed and moving targets thanks to its resistance to countermeasures, target update, reattack and task cancelation capabilities, and advanced 3D routing system.
It hovers low above water and can reach its target both on linear and vertical planes. With this feature, the missile can reach a higher altitude when it gets closer to the target and can land on a target ship from directly above.
Atmaca's launch came just a day after Türkiye successfully tested its first military turbofan engine, TF6000, in a major breakthrough in the nation's drive to rely on domestic technologies to curb external dependency on critical equipment.
The engine has been designed to help Türkiye gain capabilities and technology to develop a power unit for its first fifth-generation fighter jet, KAAN, which recently performed its inaugural flight.
Developed by TUSAŞ Engine Industries (TEI), the engine is expected to power the unmanned fighter jet, Kızılelma, and Anka-3, the country's first flying-wing, deep-strike unmanned aerial vehicle.
Other news in this section
