During a Nigerian officials’ visit, ROKETSAN’s CİRİT 70 mm laser-guided missile was seen on a pickup fitted with an electro-optical system. The footage from the visit was shared by the YouTube channel Africa Views. The pickup’s flat-bed section is fitted with a turret holding one pod holding four CİRİT missiles, while the top of the cabin is fitted with ASELSAN’s KARAKURT EO/IR system that also has a laser designator. The U.S. has recently developed a similar solution, VAMPIRE, firing APKWS II laser-guided rockets with proximity fuse for use against UAVs.
The new configuration can be considered an alternative to the more versatile, better-armed but expensive KMC system that can fire UMTAS ATGMs. Pickup trucks are much cheaper than military-standard armoured fighting vehicles, and the use of simpler systems contributes to the low-cost factor of this solution. CİRİT is a 70 mm laser-guided missile as a cost-effective alternative to ATGMs for softer targets.
The missile features three warhead options: triple effect (Anti-personnel, incendiary, shaped charge), high explosive and thermobaric.
CİRİT can be launched from pods developed explicitly for it with capacities of one, two and four missiles. Alternatively, it is compatible with standard launchers used for Hydra 70 rockets.
The missile is integrated on multiple Turkish platforms, such as the T129 ATAK attack helicopter, ULAQ USV, SALVO USV, and KAPLAN STA’s KMC-fitted configuration.
