Turkey will develop indigenous naval missile-launching system after U.S. sanctions on procurement

After U.S. sanctions prevented its plans to procure an American missile vertical launching system for its upcoming navy ships, Turkey will develop an indigenous system of its own, Defence News reported on Friday.

Turkey’s Roketsan defence company will develop the Milli Dikey Atis

Sistemi (MDAS), which stands for National Vertical Launch System, Defence News said. Roketsan is building the vertical launching missile system for Turkey’s TCG Istanbul frigate, also built locally in Turkey.

Before opting to build the MDAS, Turkey had planned to purchase the U.S.-built Mk 41 vertical launching system developed by Lockheed Martin. That option became unavailable after the U.S. imposed sanctions on Turkey last December over Ankara’s purchase of advanced Russian-built S-400 air defence missiles.

İsmail Demir of Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) previously said in January that the Istanbul would be outfitted with a locally-built vertical launch system but did not clarify who would build it.

A subcontractor working on the MDAS told Defence News, under the condition of anonymity, that the Turkish system will be similar to the Mk 41 the U.S. banned Turkey from buying.

“However, it has some structural differences, like its height. MDAS will be 8 meters long – 30 centimetres longer than Mk 41,” the subcontractor said.

“The system will be capable of embarking and launching indigenous missiles, including the HİSAR surface-to-air missile family … and ATMACA anti-ship missiles,” the Defence News source added.

“Turkey has gained enough know-how experience to develop an indigenous missile-launching system in the last decade. We have been working on the MDAS project and aim to make it ready before the acceptance trials of TCG Istanbul.”

Defence News said that the MDAS was previously planned for the upcoming TF2000-class of air defence destroyers that Turkey hopes to build and incorporate into its navy by 2027. U.S. sanctions changed these plans, however, and SSB sped up development of the MDAS by Roketsan for the Istanbul-class frigates, the first of which Turkey hopes to commission in 2023.

MDAS will likely fire two Turkish-built air defence missiles under tests, the Siper and Hisar-U, Defence News said.

Source: ahvalnews.com

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