Turkish Aerospace’s ANKA UCAV fired ROKETSAN’s L-UMTAS laser-guided ATGM at an altitude of 15000 ft from a dual carriage rack and successfully hit the target.
This is the first time ANKA launched an ATGM missile, following tests with glide munitions. L-UMTAS, being a powered munition, might offer longer ranges than what is typically given for helicopter/surface launch as it is dropped from higher altitudes when used on a UCAV.
L-UMTAS and UMTAS have a range of eight kilometres when launched from the surface or hovering helicopters, and this might be pushed beyond ten kilometres with ANKA UCAV.
An advantage of using a powered munition over a glide munition is the speed advantage, which is important for time-sensitive and moving targets. This might also allow the engagement of helicopters and low-flying aircraft due to ATGMs’ secondary capability.
