Turkish Submarines to Fire Turkish Cruise Missiles Soon

Submarine Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Timur Yılmaz stated that firings of GEZGİN and ATMACA cruise missiles from submarines will commence soon. Timur Yılmaz made the statement during an interview for Defence Turkiye’s 128th issue. Submarine-launched ATMACA will be a counterpart to the U.S.-made Sub-Harpoon and French Exocet’s submarine variant. Submarine-launched anti-ship missiles are launched from the torpedo tubes using a capsule that smoothly brings the missile to the water surface. Upon reaching the surface, the booster is ignited to launch the missile. Submarine-launched ATMACA can provide Turkish submarines with a stand-off attack capability against well-protected groups with MPAs/ASW Helicopters/ASW warships ranging beyond 200 km. However, providing target data to the missile even in flight is as important as gaining the capability to launch the missile. The communication and data-link systems onboard the submarine or other platforms will likely carry said part out. GEZGİN is a long-range cruise missile akin to Tomahawk and Kalibr missiles, mainly intended for land attack. The missile will be used by submarines, warships (MİDLAS VLS), land platforms, and fighter jets. There are no technical specifications of the missile that are available now. Launching land attack cruise missiles from stealthy platforms such as submarines is a type of deterrence stemming from the uncertainty. Underwater launch makes it hard to predict when and where the missile might be launched. The long-range can allow for targeting critical bases and facilities located on the enemy’s mainland.