Turkey Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Nigerian Navy has signed a contract with Dearsan Shipyard for the purchase of 2 OPV 76 Class Offshore Patrol Ships.



In the official statement made by the Nigerian Navy, it was stated that a contract was signed with Turkish Dearsan Shipyard for the purchase of 2 OPV 76 Class Offshore Patrol Ships within the scope of naval needs.

Nigerian Navy Commander Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo stated that the agreement is a milestone in the fleet renewal efforts of the Nigerian Navy to realize the 2021-2030 Strategic Plan. Murat Gordi, CEO of Dearsan Shipyard, also spoke after the signing ceremony.

Murat Gordi, who thanked the companies of the Nigerian Navy for their trust, underlined that they will return this trust by building the best ship in its class for Nigeria and that the contract will be executed faithfully.

Gordi, CEO of Dearsan Shipyard, also added that this project will further strengthen the ties between Turkey and Nigeria by providing added value in technology transfer and expertise.

Within the scope of the signed contract, Dearsan Shipyard plans to complete 2 OPV 76 Class Offshore Patrol Ships within 37 months.

OPV 76 catalogue (PDF):

It appears that the BVR air-to-air missile Gokdogan has been succesfully fired. I hope to see footage of it soon:

According to the information obtained by SavunmaSanayiST.com; Air-fired tests of the GÖKDOĞAN BVR Air Missile were carried out very recently. The GÖKDOĞAN Missile, fired from the F-16 Fighting Falcon Block 40 warplane belonging to the 401st Test Fleet Command, successfully destroyed its target during the tests in Konya. Thus, both the ground and air firing test programs of GÖKDOĞAN and BOZDOĞAN, the first national air-to-air missiles, were successfully completed.




Another milestone achieved for the Turkish MIC

"We produced the first part of our National Combat Aircraft. Every step we take for the survival project of our country is very meaningful and valuable for us. I would like to thank all my friends with whom we have walked the same path by working with enthusiasm and diligence."

sequ said:

It appears that the BVR air-to-air missile Gokdogan has been succesfully fired. I hope to see footage of it soon:

According to the information obtained by SavunmaSanayiST.com; Air-fired tests of the GÖKDOĞAN BVR Air Missile were carried out very recently. The GÖKDOĞAN Missile, fired from the F-16 Fighting Falcon Block 40 warplane belonging to the 401st Test Fleet Command, successfully destroyed its target during the tests in Konya. Thus, both the ground and air firing test programs of GÖKDOĞAN and BOZDOĞAN, the first national air-to-air missiles, were successfully completed.

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Another milestone achieved for the Turkish MIC

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Ibrahim Sunnetci wrote an article about the firing tests:

Turkey's first active radar (RF) guided infra-sight (BVR) air-to-air missile GÖKDOĞAN, (...) was successfully carried out at the end of October. Within the scope of the shooting campaign, in which multiple shots were fired, the IIR guided BOZDOĞAN Missile was also fired. A few more shooting campaigns will be carried out in the coming period. GÖKTUĞ Project (BOZDOGAN and GOKDOGAN)is expected to be completed in 2022.

Interesting statements made by him about the level of integration of the Gokdogan on the F-16:

I do not consider it possible for GÖKDOĞAN's full integration with the AN/APG-68(V)5 Radar on the aircraft, as I consider that the radar-related source codes are not available and the necessary permissions from the US Government cannot be obtained in this environment.

The AIM-120 AMRAAM is basically launched in two modes. In the first, information such as the location and speed of the target detected by the APG-68 before the launch is loaded to the missile by the aircraft, and the missile flies towards the previously loaded coordinate, up to a certain distance, thanks to the internal IRU (Inertial Reference Unit) and microprocessor, without activating its own seeker head. With half-track guidance, the update of the target coordinate is transmitted from the aircraft to the missile via the data link, enabling the missile to find its target more precisely. The missile opens its RF seeker head within a certain distance (such as 8-10nm) to the target, searches for the target and locks onto it. This engagement is referred to as the 'pitbull'. In the second firing mode, which is preferred for in-sight distances, the missile finds its target with its own RF seeker head and locks onto it before it is launched from the aircraft. Thus, the need for integration and data link to APG-68 does not arise. Without half-track guidance, the missile's effectiveness in BVR engagement is significantly reduced because the active RF seeker on the missile has a more limited range and power than the APG-68.

In the light of this information, I think that the GÖKDOĞAN Missile is locked on its target with its own active RF seeker in pitbull (autonomous RF guidance, fire and forget) mode and the shot is carried out at an in-sight range. In order for GÖKDOĞAN to be used at maximum range and with higher efficiency, integration with the onboard Fire Control Radar and half-track guidance support are essential. Within the scope of Phase-IV, which is the final stage of the ÖZGÜR Avionic Modernization Project and includes the Moving Map, Data Link and Air-Air/Air-Ground Weapon Integration works, after the full integration of GÖKDOĞAN into the aircraft, it will be possible to use the missile at maximum range and at maximum efficiency.





I have my doubts if the Ozgur modernization enables the full use of the AN/APG-68 radar with the Gokdogan. I think an indigenous radar is needed for this which is currently under development and is planned for 2022 to be first integrated on an F-16 for tests.

I don't expect to see footage from the Gokdogan launch like as with the first launch of the Bozdogan. The integration limitations wrt the radar makes it impossible to have the Gokdogan to be tested in it full capability. Or maybe they managed to integrate it with the AN-APG-68 and launched it at beyond visual range but are keeping it hush-hush because of some breach of agreement with the US. Who knows but time will tell.

sequ said:

Kale, the designer and producer of the KTJ-3200 turbojet engine is currently working on an engine (...) with 20% more thrust compared to the KTJ-3200.

(...) it will eventually be used in the Gezgin LACM.

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The name of this engine is ARAT:




With the agreement signed between the Presidency of Defense Industry and Kale Arge, the advanced turbojet engine ARAT will enter the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces.

Presidency of Defense Industry Presidency held the signing ceremony of ARAT engine developed locally and nationally in Ankara. The ARAT turbojet engine, which will be developed by Kale Arge, will enter the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces in the coming years.

The ARAT turbojet engine will break new ground as a domestic and national engineering product by Kale Arge. ARAT, which will serve at high altitude with low fuel consumption, draws attention with its long working life.

Speaking at the ARAT turbojet engine signing ceremony, President of the Presidency of Defense Industries İsmail Demir said in his speech at the ceremony that Turkey has to walk resolutely towards becoming a global power.

Emphasizing that Turkey had to cut its own belly for the needs in the defense industry in the long term, Demir said, "These processes were painful. We paid a price in terms of both cost and time. Maybe we would have paid less than this if we had gone to ready-made procurement again. Turkey experienced this comfort many years ago. And maybe he found comfort in this mentality in operational terms. If we want to become a global power now, if we want to defend our national interests against all odds and against all pressures, if we want to resist the sanctions and restrictions that are being imposed, we have to embark on this journey." said.

Demir emphasized that they expect a very fast work from Kale Arge in the ARAT Project.

Expressing that speed is very important and that there is not a single day to be lost in this conjuncture, Demir stated that for the success of the project, each relevant institution should put its best to the highest level.

Kale Group Vice President and Technical Group President Osman Okyay stated that as Kale Arge, they continue to work intensively on the development of gas turbine engines for the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces and said: “The goal of Kale Arge is to be an international center of excellence for gas turbine systems. Therefore, all our work is progressing in this direction. The qualification of the original Turbojet Engine KTJ-3200 developed by Kale Arge has come to an end. Turkey's first Turbojet Engine KTJ-3200 is our source of pride with its domestic and national feature. We are proud to start developing the ARAT engine with the experience and knowledge we have gained here. All design and development; I would like to remind you that all test and evaluation activities and production, including development tests, are carried out with domestic and national resources.

We are proud to have started the development phase of ARAT, our new domestic and national engine, with the guidance and support of our Defense Industry Presidency. Especially the President of the Defense Industry, Prof. Dr. I would like to thank the SSB team and everyone who supported this project, especially İsmail Demir. Best wishes."


Although Kale had to start from complete scratch when they got the turbojet project, the KTJ-3200 took too long to develop (10 years!). I too hope that the ARAT engine has a much shorter development time. I think it should be fully completed not later than 2025.

TEI on the other hand developed the TJ-300 in less than 2 years if I remember correctly, from scratch to first ignition. TEI has a much larger head start than Kale for the development of turbine engines but if the fast development of the TJ-300 is an indication we should expect a first ignition of the ARAT engine not later than 2023 seeing that Kale is relying upon the knowledge, experience and testing infrastructure of the KTJ-3200.

I hope a small turbofan engine will also be developed for a Kh-55/Tomahawk range class.

Surprising development. Vestel's Karayel being tested in Hungary:

The First Live Firing Test with the SOM-J 5th Generation ASuW Missile Was Held in October!

The first live fire test was successfully carried out in October with the SOM-J 5th Generation ASuW Missile developed by TÜBİTAK SAGE. The shooting was carried out with the F-16C Aircraft, affiliated to the 401st Test Fleet Command, off the coast of Bartın. The launch was scheduled for September 2021 against a naval target, weather permitting, but was later delayed to October.

(...)

SOM-J Missile, which is stated to have a Low Radar Cross Section (RCA/RCS) value, has the same guidance system as SOM-B1 (INS/GPS, Earth Reference Navigation System [TRNS], Image Referenced Navigation [IBN] System and Automatic Target Detection [ OHA/ATA]) but will have a more advanced/precise OHA/ATA capability and a bidirectional Link-16 Tactical Data Link System (giving capabilities such as target update during flight, engagement of opportunity targets, and mission cancellation). In addition to tactical data link systems, the SOM-J Missile is designed to be compatible with the Intelligent Weapon Network (ASA) developed by TÜBİTAK SAGE. In this way, sharing missile information after firing, tracking and control of the missile by control platforms, operator-assisted targeting and control capability using seeker images, joint operations capability with a network to be established between weapon systems are provided.

In light of the Gokdogan and SOM-J firing tests, Anil Shahin (defese journalist) tweeted that more is to come these last two months and that he can't go into details:

"SOM-J = OK.
GÖKDOĞAN = OK.
X = OK...
Forget all this. The real bomb is coming in a very short time October and November became a historic time for Turkey's missile projects."

"The worst part of being a member of the press in the field of defense is not being able to explain the successful tests "

"October is really good. We will hear good news until the end of the year."

"I'm just taking a look. It looks like November will be no different."




I wonder what weapon system 'X' stands for?

sequ said:

Surprising development. Vestel's Karayel being tested in Hungary:

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Some more info about the Karayel UAV in Hungary:

Vestel Production KARAYEL SİHA Puts to the Test in Hungary. Hungary continues to examine Turkish-made Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Vestel Karayel is in Hungary.

The KARAYEL Tactical UAV System produced by Vestel was captured by Hungarian defense sources at the Hungarian Pápa Bázisrepülőtér (Papa Air Base). In the photos shared by the lhsn.hu news site, it is understood that the Karayel belonging to Vestel was subjected to a series of tests in Hungary.

According to the private information conveyed by the news site, Vestel Karayel started the tests at sunset on Friday. Hungary Plans to Procure UAVs from Turkey A crowded Hungarian delegation also watched the tests on the spot. As you can see, Karayel, who worked in the airport's airspace for about an hour and a half, demonstrated his abilities not only on the ground but also in the air. According to Hungarian sources, Hungary is interested in many Turkish-made UAVs, including Vestel's Karayel UAV. Other options are Baykar's Bayraktar TB2 UAV and TUSAŞ's ANKA UAV.

Armament Director of the Hungarian Armed Forces, Gáspár Maróth, made important statements about Turkish UAVs during his statement to a local television channel in May. Stating that Hungary has had a formal UAV strategy since 2018 and is monitoring the market for a potential supply, Maróth said, “Several Turkish suppliers have been evaluated and a group of experts will make a long series of visits to Turkey this week to test the equipment.”. Maróth answered the question from which companies it will be procured as follows: “This will depend on which drones have the best capability and also whether an agreement can be reached on production as Hungary wants to acquire such capabilities in the country. Among the evaluated firms are Israeli and European manufacturers.”

Developed by Vestel Defense with domestic resources, KARAYEL-SU has a maximum airtime of 20 hours. KARAYEL-SU, which has fully autonomous take-off, flight and landing features; It can operate with a maximum of 4 CİRİT, 12 MAM-C or 4 MAM-L ammunition loads.

First test fire of Siper missile! Looks like RF guidance and fitted with a booster. Quite a slim design. I guess this is what was referred to as 'X' by Anil Shahin. The booster reminds me of the booster design of the Atmaca AShM. Another proof that an entire ecosystem of knowledge and experience is being created that is contributing to the rapid development of newer weapon systems.



You can see booster seperation at 0:40 and ignition of mainbody rocketmotor at 0:42: