Turkey successfully tests sea-launched cruise missile

ANKARA 

Turkey conducted a successful test-fire of the country’s first indigenously developed sea-launched cruise missile, the head of Turkey’s Defense Industries Presidency said Monday.

Atmaca was launched from the TCG Kinaliada warship, the fourth Ada-class anti-submarine warfare corvette manufactured under the Turkish national warship program, said Ismail Demir.

Manufactured by missile producer Roketsan, Atmaca is expected to enter the Turkish military’s inventory in the second half of 2020.

Atmaca will be replaced by the American-made Harpoon ship-killer missile in the inventory.

According to Roketsan, Atmaca is a high precision, long-range, surface-to-surface, precision strike anti-ship missile which can be integrated to patrol boats, frigates and corvettes.

The anti-ship missile is weatherproof and resistant to countermeasures.

Atmaca is a guided missile with a range of over 200 kilometers (124 miles), posing a threat for targets beyond the line of sight.

It also provides target update, re-attack and mission abort capability via modern and developed data link.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar