ROKETSAN has unveiled its low-cost mini cruise missile to provide a stand-off range, but at a far smaller size and weight compared to its other cruise missiles.
After SOM, ATMACA, and the slightly compact ÇAKIR, ROKETSAN has embarked on a low-cost mini cruise missile intended for UCAVs, which have demanding payload limits compared to fighter jets.
The new low-cost cruise missile of ROKETSAN, with a range of 250 km, can be used against stationary or moving surface targets thanks to its GNSS+INS guidance supported by a TV seeker.
Weighing 125 kg with a length of 2.4 m, the mini cruise missile can be carried by UCAVs like AKINCI, ANKA, and possibly the shipborne Bayraktar TB3.
It is understood that this new missile is fueled by ROKETSAN’s history up until now, as notes from SOM (Folding wings), TV-guided MAM variants (Seeker), and the more recent EREN loitering munition (Rearward air intake) can be observed in the design.
Alongside the lighter and multi-purpose EREN loitering munition with a range of 100 km, the new cruise missile is set to form a new stand-off standard for Turkish UCAVs that is in hundreds of kilometres rather than dozens.
It is also not hard to imagine the mini cruise missile being adapted for different platforms like helicopters or surface-based launchers in the future, with the addition of a booster, considering the opportunity of carriage in larger numbers and the low cost.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
