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Turkey inducts UMTAS anti-tank guided missile into service
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) formally inducted the Roketsan UMTAS (Uzun Menzilli Tanksavar Sistemi) anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) into formal service.
Turkey’s state-owned news agency Anadolu Agency reports that the Turkish Army acquired one UMTAS launching system with eight UMTAS ATGMs one June 02.
Also designated the Mizrak, the UMTAS is a semi-active laser-homing ATGM with a range of 500-8,000 m. Weighing a total of 37.5 kg, the UMTAS can be tipped with a tandem anti-tank warhead or a high-explosive blast fragmentation warhead. Roketsan says the UMTAS can also utilize an imaging infrared seeker.
The TSK intends to make the UMTAS its mainstay ATGM, not just by the Army – where it will be the main weapon of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) T129 attack helicopter – but with the Air Force and Navy as well.
The TAI Hürkuş-C close air support and counterinsurgency attack aircraft successfully test-fired an UMTAS ATGM in April. The Temren anti-ship missile is thought to have been developed from the UMTAS.
Turkey’s Undersecretariat of Defence Industries (SSM) is also marketing the UMTAS for export. Currently, Pakistan is among the countries the SSM and Roketsan see is a possible market for the missile.
3 Comments
by Steve
So this is Turkey’s Hellfire equivalent, albeit somewhat smaller. We need to move on from the ancient HJ-8 with SALCOS and make some better stuff. Laser, IR, and millimetre wave guided newer stuff is needed. Any news if Pakistan is planning to make something similar? Possibly private sector?
by MT
The Turks 3rd gen ATGM sprouts an (imaging infrared )IIR seeker but these seekers are noisy, ineffective in sub 50degree celcius climate esp on desert where it’s almost impossible to differentiate artillery Targets from sandunes nd other metallic objects.
HJ8 is Chinese wire guided 2nd gen missile assembled as baktar shikan in Pak. Pak missed the ladder of r&d . Not sure how it can plan future stuff’s with less than 0.4%gdp on research.
MMW wave seekers are state of art but only usa has been able to mature the technologies of it.
French sorafdir nd Israelis ll follow soon
by Steve
It’s nice to have better stuff as it gives one versatility, but our HJ-8 are tough, robust, and cannot be jammed easily. They blew the crap out of Serb M-84 (T-72 equivalent) tanks in the Bosian civil war. Recently FSA have destroyed Syrian T-72 with them. Frontal arc penetration is no problem. They have yet to be tested against T-90. That’s why we have built >20,000.