In the new test, ROKETSAN’s TRLG-122 122 mm laser-guided artillery rocket was fired from a pickup for the first time, successfully hitting the sea target.

Using the highly mobile pickup as the launch platform and the hit on the static sea target might give TRLG-122 a new edge on the market, as 122 mm artillery rockets are mostly launched from larger trucks.

It is seen that the canisters are mounted either on a fixed launcher or one with an elevation setting only for use on a pickup. While there are two canisters on the pickup in the video, the maximum number might go towards four or six, considering the payload capacity for such vehicles.

A pickup is far easier to carry around compared to a 8x8 truck with more transport possibilities, while the firepower is considerably lower. Easier deployment is something that can be taken advantage of, as pickups armed with highly precise artillery rockets can be deployed in unexpected locations more easily for an element of surprise.

Additionally, a smaller vehicle is considerably easier to conceal. Recent images from the Turkish MoD already show practices of concealing important ones, like HİSAR-A low altitude air defence vehicles, using dense nets.

TRLG-122

TRLG-122 is a development of the TRG-122 guided artillery rocket incorporating a new fuselage and guidance section with a laser seeker to increase the accuracy further. Each ROKETSAN MLRS can carry 12 or 24 TRLG-122 rockets, which can reach a range of 30 km.

Additionally, TRLG-122’s design was later adopted for the development of UAV-122 aeroballistic missile for UCAVs (Fired from AKINCI and Bayraktar TB3 UCAVs). UAV-122 is available in GNSS/INS-only, laser seeker, and TV seeker configurations and has a range of 50+ km.

Author: Kaan Azman

Editor:Özgür Ekşi