Roketsan's Karaok Missile shows advanced capabilities in latest test

The recent test footage of Roketsan's shoulder-launched anti-tank missile, Karaok, is noteworthy. This missile hits its target after performing a "dive" maneuver at a very short distance, showcasing the advanced stage of Turkish engineering.

Experts highlight that the next goal is to produce unguided, lightweight, and highly affordable anti-tank missiles, emphasizing that Türkiye can easily achieve this as well.

With the Russia-Ukraine war, both tanks and anti-tank weaponry have once again become key issues. The claim that "the era of tanks is over" has proven inaccurate, and it has become clear how vital it is to maintain a large inventory of anti-tank weapons.

In the final days of 2024, Roketsan released a test video that aligns with this ongoing process. While the range of such systems is valuable, hitting targets at the farthest possible distance is a plus, but the video demonstrates an even more difficult achievement.

The Karaok missile successfully struck a target at an extremely short distance. At approximately 50 meters, it first ascended and then executed a "dive" onto the target. This maneuver is much harder than hitting a distant target and is critically important.

Defense industry expert Kubilay Yıldırım shared insights into the significance of this challenge and future expectations.

TÜRKİYE'S NEED FOR ANTI-TANK WEAPONS

To better understand the issue, Yıldırım traces it back to earlier years. Türkiye sought a system that could be carried and fired by a single soldier, in addition to the medium-range anti-tank missiles in its inventory.

This effort began in the '90s with a collaboration between a French company and MKE, but was canceled in 2004 due to issues on the other side. Türkiye decided to take on this challenge independently, leading to the development of the Long-Range Anti-Tank System (UMTAS).

Yıldırım explains that the UMTAS project started with many different and ambitious requirements, which was critical for the Turkish defense industry. He emphasizes that developing a cost-effective thermal sensor with sufficient resolution and thermal sensitivity, along with the necessary production infrastructure, was a significant milestone.

Furthermore, creating a data link system to transmit the image from this sensor to the shooter, allowing the missile to be guided during flight, was another tough challenge.

The missile's ability to find and hit its target using a "fire-and-forget" profile was also a critical test, marking a major milestone for Turkish defense technology.

"THE NATIONAL ANTI-TANK MISSILE IS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD"

After all these developments, the system created by Turkish engineers has impressive capabilities, according to Yıldırım:

"The OMTAS system stands out not only in its guidance infrastructure but also in its flight and impact characteristics. One of the main expectations before the project was that the missile should be able to be launched from enclosed spaces.

Therefore, it had to ensure that it did not cause harm to the operator when exiting the launch tube in such confined spaces. This was achieved by using a low-pressure launch motor.

Additionally, OMTAS can be fired even when the target is behind an obstacle or if there are other barriers in between. Another key feature was the missile's ability to target the vulnerable top points of armored vehicles, which was successfully achieved."

These features give the OMTAS system incredible flexibility, allowing the user to fire from concealed positions and change firing locations quickly. Moreover, the missile can be guided during flight to choose the optimal target.

This can be done at ranges over 4 kilometers, in narrow spaces, or in urban areas with distances under 100 meters. The OMTAS system is also equipped with long-range, high-resolution day/night optics and a battery capable of supporting these systems for extended periods. This allows operators to conceal themselves in closed spaces and set ambushes.

KARAOK EMERGES

Following the long-range UMTAS and medium-range OMTAS, there was a demand for a lightweight anti-tank missile that could be easily carried and fired by a single soldier. The "TEKAT" project began in 2010, and Karaok emerged as the result of this initiative, delivered to the relevant units by 2020-21.

Yıldırım highlights the impressive flight and engagement capabilities of Karaok, demonstrated in a short video shared by Roketsan at the end of 2024. He points out that the missile can "dive" onto a target at a distance of 50-60 meters, showing exceptional performance even while the rocket motor is still firing.

He also notes that Karaok has a maximum range of 2,500 meters and can demonstrate the same flight performance at this distance.

Yıldırım emphasizes that Karaok's key advantage over its well-known counterparts, like the Javelin, is its lighter weight and more advanced optical/sensor systems. Additionally, despite being similar in weight to South Korea's Raybolt missile system, Karaok has a longer maximum range and a shorter minimum engagement range.

"NEXT: AFFORDABLE AND MASS-PRODUCED ANTI-TANK MISSILES"

While Karaok is an impressive product with its capabilities, Yıldırım points out that it is not feasible to use such sophisticated systems extensively on the battlefield. The Russia-Ukraine war has taught many nations the importance of factors like maximum and minimum ranges, shooting from behind obstacles, and the ability to change positions quickly.