Alongside the MAM-L NEŞTER variant featuring six pop-up blades in place of the warhead, ROKETSAN’s other kinetic effect munition was spotted as L-UMTAS NEŞTER.
ROKETSAN’s second bladed munition, L-UMTAS NEŞTER, was spotted on Türk Patent, a department of the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology.
L-UMTAS NEŞTER’s name has been spotted on the trademark database of Türk Patent, which confirms the project’s existence. The application was made shortly before the SAHA EXPO 2026 defence exhibition that hosted the unveiling of the MAM-L NEŞTER bladed glide munition.
ROKETSAN’s NEŞTER (Scalpel) line, starting with MAM-L NEŞTER, aims to minimise collateral damage by neutralising targets through focused kinetic energy from six pop-up blades. This type of munition was first utilised by the US, based on the AGM-114 Hellfire ATGM (L-UMTAS’s counterpart).
Bladed munitions without warheads can be described as not only useful but also important for the specific case of a high-value target that needs to be engaged in crowded areas where collateral damage to civilians is certain with an explosive warhead.
It is understood that L-UMTAS NEŞTER, as a variant of the L-UMTAS ATGM, will also be primarily fielded by UAVs (ANKA UCAV has been certified for L-UMTAS).
Compared to MAM-L NEŞTER, which relies on speed gained during its free-fall, L-UMTAS NEŞTER is more than likely to put out higher kinetic energy thanks to being a powered munition that achieves higher speeds.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
