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ATMACA ASCM Boosts the Sub-Strategic Naval Strike Capability of the Turkish Naval Forces

Final Test Fires Successfully Performed Before Its Planned Entry Into Service in 2021 Q2

Date: Issue 105 - April 2021

Under the ATMACA Surface-to-Surface Guided Missile Project, which was launched on May 8, 2009 to meet Turkish Naval Forces Command (TNFC)’s requirement for a new generation anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) with land attack capability through national means and capabilities the last two guided test-firings of the ATMACA missile from the TCG Kınalıada Corvette with a telemetry system and a live warhead was successfully conducted on February 3-4, 2021, off the coast of Sinop in the Black Sea region before its planned delivery in 2021 Q2. These launches were also recorded as the 2nd and 3rd guided test-firings of the ATMACA ASCM from a naval platform.

During the telemetry test performed on February 3rd in the Black Sea, northeast of Sinop, the ATMACA ASCM was fired from a 4-cell launcher (similar to the Mk-141) placed on the port side of the TCG Kınalıada Corvette and successfully scored a hit on the Roketsan made stationary floating target platform, which imitates a surface target. On February 4, 2021, the second launch test was carried out against a similar stationary floating target platform with the ATMACA ASCM fitted with a live warhead, and this time, the target was also destroyed successfully. With the last live firing test, the effectiveness of the ATMACA missile's warhead was also tested for the first time on the missile. Both launches from the TCG Kınalıada Corvette were monitored live by the test measurement equipment at the Sinop Missile Test Range (such as radar systems and high-speed cameras that can measure the missile's trajectory and speed) and from the air by a UAV (Call Sign: Cenah 2) using the Star Safire 380 HLD FLIR payload. President of Defense Industries Prof. İsmail DEMİR announced the tests on his official social media account and congratulated all staff involved for the successful test. “Our first indigenous anti-ship missile ATMACA successfully destroyed the target after it was fired from our national ship TCG Kınalıada. I congratulate everyone who contributed. Godspeed to our Heroic Navy!" President Prof. DEMİR also shared a short video of the test-fires performed on February 3rd and February 4th between 14:00 and 14:30. In the footage recorded by a UAV flying at an altitude of 18,129ft, the passive ranging maneuver performed by the ATMACA missile at the terminal stage before hitting the platform type stationary floating target can be clearly seen (during the firing test conducted on February 4th).