Turkey’s Roketsan wins Malaysian deal for Karaok anti-tank missiles

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish missile-maker Roketsan has won a contract to sell 108 Karaok anti-tank guided weapons to Malaysia, according to government and industry sources.

This is the first export contract for the Karaok system, Turkish officials said. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, did not formally confirm the deal because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

One procurement official said Roketsan defeated three rivals to win the Malaysian contract, including contenders from South Korea and China. An industry source estimated the contract price at around $20 million.

Defense News has contacted Roketsan and the Malaysia Embassy in Turkey for further information on those who bid for the contract, as well as the sale’s value.

One Roketsan official said the Karaok system is capable of engaging and destroying armor and fortified bunkers at a distance of 2-4 kilometers (1.2-2.5 miles).

The Karaok features imaging, infrared homing guidance. The weapon’s diameter is 125mm diameter, it weighs less than 16 kilograms (35 pounds), and the system incorporates an armor-piercing tandem warhead. It offers both direct and overhead strike modes with a fire-and-forget mode.

The Karaok system will come with six missiles for each launcher — 18 launchers in total. The system will also include indoor and outdoor simulators as well as test equipment.

Once in service, the Karaok system will replace the Soviet-era Metis-M currently fitted on four-wheel drive G-Wagen vehicles. The Karaok weapons will be deployed on Cendana Auto light armored vehicles.

The Karaok is the Turkish equivalent of the FGM-148 Javelin guided anti-tank missile, jointly produced by Lockheed Martin and RTX. The American-made weapon has recently gained notoriety from its use by Ukraine as it fights off a Russian invasion .

Roketsan began to develop the Karaok in 2016. The company showcased the system at the IDEF exhibition in Istanbul in 2019. The Karaok successfully completed its first guided test fire in 2020 and entered the Turkish military’s inventory in 2022. The Turkish Army has ordered 300 Karaok systems.

Burak Ege Bekdil was the Turkey correspondent for Defense News.

土耳其安卡拉——据政府和行业消息人士透露，土耳其导弹制造商罗克特桑公司赢得了一份向马来西亚出售108枚“卡拉奥克”反坦克导弹的合同。

土耳其官员表示，这是Karaok系统的首份出口合同。这些官员因未获授权接受媒体采访，故未正式确认该交易。

一位采购官员表示，Roketsan击败了包括韩国和中国在内的三家竞争对手，赢得了马来西亚的这份合同。一位业内人士估计，合同金额约为2000万美元。

《防务新闻》已联系 Roketsan 公司和马来西亚驻土耳其大使馆，以获取有关竞标合同的公司以及合同金额的更多信息。

一位罗克特桑公司官员表示，卡拉奥克系统能够在 2-4 公里（1.2-2.5 英里）的距离上攻击并摧毁装甲和加固掩体。

Karaok导弹采用成像红外制导技术。该武器直径125毫米，重量不足16公斤（35磅），并配备穿甲串联战斗部。它提供直接打击和俯冲打击两种模式，并具备发射后不管功能。

Karaok系统每个发射器将配备六枚导弹，总共18个发射器。该系统还将包括室内外模拟器以及测试设备。

卡拉奥克系统服役后，将取代目前安装在四轮驱动G级越野车上的苏联时代梅蒂斯-M型防空导弹系统。卡拉奥克武器将部署在森达纳汽车公司生产的轻型装甲车上。

“卡拉奥克”导弹是土耳其版的FGM-148“标枪”反坦克导弹，由洛克希德·马丁公司和RTX公司联合生产。这款美国制造的武器最近因乌克兰在抵抗俄罗斯入侵时使用而声名狼藉。

Roketsan公司于2016年开始研发Karaok导弹系统。该公司于2019年在伊斯坦布尔举行的IDEF防务展上展示了该系统。Karaok导弹系统于2020年成功完成首次制导试射，并于2022年正式列装土耳其军队。土耳其陆军已订购300套Karaok系统。

布拉克·埃格·贝克迪尔是《防务新闻》的土耳其通讯员。