Turkey Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Turkey successfully tests 280 km-range ballistic missile near the Black Sea

Turkey has tested its first BORA domestically manufactured ballistic missile, the country’s defence minister announced on Thursday. The Bora, or “Storm”, long-range missile was tested near the Black Sea coastal region of Sinop, Fikri Isik told broadcaster A Haber.

“A new launch of our Bora missile, with a range of 280 km, was just test-fired in Sinop. It will strike its target in the Black Sea any minute now,” he told local A Haber TV channel at the time. He later described the test as successful.

Talking to the news channel on the sidelines of the IDEF 2017 defence exhibition in Istanbul, Isik said, “Turkey now makes its own missiles; we have gained the self-confidence to make better ones.”

The BORA is a mobile short-range ballistic missile (also named Khan for export) and developed by Turkish missile manufacturer Roketsan.

The Khan artillery missile system, designed and produced by Roketsan, can provide mass fire power on High Payoff Targets within the area of influence of the army.

Roketsan reported that the missile has a diameter of 610 mm, a total weight of 2500 kg, and a 470 kg warhead.

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Turkey to buy up to 24 armed trainer aircraft
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May 19, 2017 (Photo Credit: Yasin Akgul/AFP via Getty Images)
ANKARA, Turkey — The Turkish government has signed a contract with the country’s aerospace powerhouse for the design, development and serial production of an indigenous armed trainer aircraft.

Under the plan, Tusas Turkish Aerospace Industries will develop and manufacture 12 Hurkus-C armed trainers with a follow-on option to deliver 12 more.

According to the contract signed between TAI and the country’s procurement office, the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries, or SSM in its Turkish acronym, the program for the armed trainers will maximize its use of locally developed software and hardware, including in the design and integration stages.

In April, Turkish officials successfully tested the Hurkus-C equipped with L-UMTAS, a laser-guided, long-range, anti-tank missile. L-UMTAS was developed by the state-controlled missile-maker Roketsan primarily to operate from attack helicopters. In 2016 the system was qualified and integrated into the T-129, a Turkish attack helicopter built under license from AgustaWestland.

The aircraft also features other locally developed ammunition including CIRIT, TEBER, HGK and LGK. In addition, it can use inertial navigation system/GPS-guided bombs, conventional bombs, non-guided rockets and machine guns.

The contract signed between TAI and SSM calls for the armed trainer program to maximize its use of locally developed software and hardware, including in the design and integration stages.
Photo Credit: Turkish Aerospace Industries

The armed Hurkus features armored body parts, a self-protection system, data link, laser tacking, an electro-optical and infrared pod, an external fuel tank, and advanced avionics, according to TAI. With its 1,500-kilogram payload that can be utilized through seven external hard points, the Hurkus-C will perform light-attack and armed reconnaissance missions.

The Hurkus-C close-air support and lightweight attack helicopter is an armed version of the turboprop-powered basic trainer Hurkus. Last July, TAI was awarded European Aviation Safety Agency certification for the Hurkus-A, the civilian variant. The company hopes to deliver the armed Hurkus to the Turkish Armed Forces in 2018.

TAI expects the armed Hurkus to be widely used in Turkey’s increasing counterinsurgency fight against pro-Kurdish and Islamic militants both inside Turkey and across its Syrian and Iraqi borders.

TAI’s engineers began to design the Hurkus in 2004. For the Hurkus program, TAI signed two contracts with SSM: one for prototype development and the other for serial production. Under a June 2014 serial production contract, TAI will deliver 15 aircraft with a follow-on option for 40 more.

The Hurkus platform features a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68 turboprop engine that comes with a power rating of 1,600 shaft horsepower and a maximum speed of 574 kph. TAI’s sister company, Tusas Engine Industries, which specializes in engines, is locally developing a turboshaft engine to replace the Pratt & Whitney Canada engine.

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The Evaluation of TCG Istanbul’s Design

During the IDEF 2015 12th International Defense Industry Fair, Turkish Navy shared the first conceptual drawing of the second generation of Milgem class. There was a poster about TCG Istanbul on the Turkish Naval Forces booth during IDEF 2017 too.

I though it would be interesting to compare the photos and see how the design of TCG Istanbul has evolved.

Not surprisingly there are a few changes in design on the outside. Any changes made inside the ship remains elusive. The changes are focused between the bow and midships. It seems as the design of the ship from midships to aft has been found satisfactory.

The most important change is in the shape of the bridge and the mast.Lets look at them:
1. If the darker patches along the hull indicate openable hatches, there is a new hatch at location 1. On Ada class corvettes this area is used for replenishment. Since the design of TCG İstanbul is based on Ada class it is safe to assume that this area will be used for replenishment too. Thus there was a need to implement a hatch there to ease the operations there.

2. The location of the SATCOM antennas has changed. In 2015 there were located towards to the end of the mast. In 2017 there were moved a few meters to the front.

3. There are new antennas there. Their place and shape suggests antennas for an on board electronic warfare system. Probable a local development. The antennas of STACOM and ESM are pretty close. I hope they won’t create any interference.

4. The photos are not quite detailed but the electro-optical tracking and detection system has changed. In 2015 it was round and ball-shaped like ASELFLIR 300D. In 2017 it has a distinct rectangular shape of Denizgözü-Ahtapot. So the old system used on Ada class corvettes and Tuzla class patrol boats was replaced with a new generation sensor.

5. The shape of the bridge, and the forward part of the mast has changed. In 2015 the forward surfaces had a more slanted slope. In 2017 the slopes are more steep. The roof of the bridge is also less clustered and has more clean lines.

6. The all closed bow guards rails has been modified. The newer version has a bow bulwark and open guard rails. This must have changed the stealthiness of the ship. But the trade-off between becoming a little less stealth and having a flexible forward maneuvering area must be important for the handlers.

The sensors with the exception of the EO system and addition of ESM system and the weapons seem to be unchanged.

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Turkish-US venture to produce armor
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May 30, 2017 (Photo Credit: Ruskpp/Getty Images)
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish steel and iron producer Tosyali Holding has teamed up with the U.S.-based Harsco to produce indigenous Turkish armor-grade steel for military platforms on Turkey’s wish list.

Tosyali officials say all research and development plans for the joint venture have been completed. Tosyali and Harsco, which is based in the state of Pennsylvania, will set up Tosyali Harsco in which each will each hold a 50 percent stake.

All Turkish platforms including tanks and armored vehicles use imported armor, according to Fuat Tosyali, chairman of Tosyali Holding.

“In the future, the market [in Turkey] for armor steel will flourish,” Tosyali said.

He added that Tosyali Harsco’s planned investment to produce armor in Turkey is estimated to equate to anywhere between $1.5 billion and $2 billion.

Tosyali Holding is a prominent steel and iron producer. It also has energy investments.

Harsco supplies to the world's leading steelmakers, rail companies and energy producers. Its Metals & Minerals division offers solutions for co-products of steel production. Its Industrial division develops cooling units that convey natural gas along pipelines worldwide. This unit also develops water heaters and engineered grating used in large-scale projects such as New York's One World Trade Center. The Harsco Rail division builds and maintains rail lines.

The joint venture comes at a time when Turkey’s armored vehicles manufacturers are prospering from a sharp rise in sales to Turkish, Gulf, Asian, Middle East and African markets. They use imported armor in their increasing variety of vehicles.

“This can prove to be a niche market, especially when potential future exports of armored solutions are taken into consideration,” an industry source said.

Turkey also is seeking a local armor solution for the Altay, a new-generation indigenous main battle tank developed by Otokar, a privately owned Turkish company.

Otokar has developed prototypes for the Altay. Earlier this year the prototypes went through successful acceptance tests.

The Turkish government is expected to decide this year whether it will award a serial production contract for the Altay program to Otokar or open competition.

Under the program, a total of 1,000 tanks will be produced in four 250-unit tranches.

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