ROKETSAN announced that the Atmaca UM land attack cruise missile based on the Atmaca anti-ship missile had broken a new range and flight duration record.
This record came following the 400+ km test announced by the Secretary of Turkish Defence Industries, Haluk Görgün. A different flight pattern compared to other tests is noticeable in this test.
Unlike the previous tests, Atmaca UM flew at a higher altitude, which increases detection chances but is more fuel-efficient due to reduced drag. Some of the newer cruise missiles, like NSM, can switch flight profiles (For example, low-low-low or low-high-low) in terms of altitude to reach longer ranges depending on the requirement and target protection. Atmaca UM may have a variable flight profile for optimal engagement.
Atmaca UM is the third instalment in the Atmaca line of cruise missiles, following the Atmaca anti-ship missile’s IIR seeker version launched from trucks. This version is steered towards a land attack role with DSMAC through its IIR seeker, allowing terrain-hugging flight and a slightly heavier warhead. The missile is longer and heavier than the baseline Atmaca missile, resulting in a significant jump in range.
Additionally, Atmaca UM is the first in line to be developed with an indigenous turbojet engine from the start. Kale jet engines developed the KTJ-3700 turbojet engine with higher thrust and efficiency than the KTJ-3200 used in Atmaca and SOM cruise missiles for Atmaca UM.
ROKETSAN is developing three other configurations for Atmaca: submarine-launched, hybrid seeker (RF+IIR), and air-launched to fit various operational needs.
