Türkiye on Tuesday demonstrated its first homegrown TV-guided air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM), which was successfully test-fired from the country’s most advanced and sophisticated drone.
The IHA-122 has been developed by the rocket and missile producer Roketsan in collaboration with the Turkish drone magnate Baykar.
A video shared by the company showed two IHA-122 missiles equipped with TV and laser-guided heads being integrated into an Akıncı unmanned combat aerial vehicle.
The drone went on to take off from a runway in the northwestern Tekirdağ province before striking a target in the Marmara Sea.
The missile is said to make Türkiye the first country to develop a TV-guided ALBM.
Roketsan and Baykar are said to have been deepening their works on air-launched ballistic missiles for a while now.
Roketsan initially developed the GPS/INS-guided TRG-230 and TRG-122 missiles. The GPS/INS stands for using GPS satellite signals to correct or calibrate a solution from an inertial navigation system (INS).
It integrated laser-guided heads into these missiles, naming them IHA-230 and IHA-122.
Baykar on Tuesday shared a separate video featuring the test-firing of the IHA-230 supersonic missile.
Laser-guided head missiles require continuous laser marking of the target. The semi-active seeker head in the missile follows the laser beam and guides itself to the target. They can be highly affected by weather conditions and usually hit the target with a three-meter deviation.
The TV-guided ones have an electro-optical camera for real-time target tracking and maneuverability. They are constantly under the control of the operator while en route to the target.
The image from the electro-optical camera in the nose of the missile is also transmitted instantly to the operator and the command center. It can also transmit the last image of the destroyed target for damage assessment.
The IHA-122 supersonic missile's high speed and advanced head make it a formidable weapon against air defense systems and high-value targets.