When Turkish defence giant Roketsan completed the test-firing of its short-range anti-tank guided missile Karaok, it marked yet another milestone in the country's efforts to achieve self-reliance in the military sector.
Roketsan simulated four different battlefield scenarios with the Karaok – which means black arrow – “achieving direct hits” each time.
"Fearless, certain to hit,” wrote Roketsan CEO Murat Ikinci on social media, highlighting the power and accuracy of Karaok.
Key firing results included direct hits at ranges of 76 and 400 metres, while top-attack strikes were carried out at 1,400 and 2,050 metres. This confirms the system's flexibility in engaging diverse targets across different engagement scenarios.
According to Defence Turk, Karaok is classified as a short-range, man-portable anti-armour missile in the ‘fire-and-forget’ category. It is operated by a single soldier and can function day or night thanks to its infrared-seeking head.
The system weighs less than 16 kilograms, measures approximately 110 centimetres in length, and features foldable, cruciform wings and fins that enhance its portability and manoeuvrability.
The missile is equipped with a tandem (dual) warhead capable of defeating reactive armour, as well as a locally developed two-stage hybrid rocket motor (launch phase and flight phase) designed to permit firing from enclosed spaces.
The system offers a variety of engagement modes, including lock-on before or after launch, and the ability to execute direct or top-attack strikes targeting the weakest points of armoured vehicles.
Karaok made its mark in the export market in 2023 after winning a tender issued by the Malaysian Ministry of Defence, which required compliance with NATO standards.
Under the agreement, the Malaysian Army will be supplied with 18 launchers for the system, complete with missiles, to replace the Russian Metis-M systems currently in service.
Tactical significance
Defence analyst Teoman E. Nijanci from the military news portal Army Recognition believes that the tactical importance of the recent test series extends beyond the accuracy of the hits.
It also lies in the nature of the scenarios in which the weapon was tested, which combined close-range engagements with different attack profiles.
The hit achieved at 76 metres is not merely a numerical result; it reflects testing the system in sudden, close-quarters engagement conditions — the most complex and dangerous environment in armoured combat, particularly in complex terrain such as forest lines, fortified positions, urban outskirts, and ambush sites.
The direct hit at 400 metres reinforces this assessment, as this distance represents a critical engagement envelope that gives anti-armour teams very limited time to make decisions and execute the strike before the target can manoeuvre, call for supporting fire, or take cover.
By contrast, the top-attack strikes at 1,400 and 2,050 metres demonstrate the system's ability to target the weakest points on the upper surfaces of armoured vehicles while maintaining a greater safety distance for the launch team, thereby reducing the risk of return fire.
Speaking to TRT Haber, defence industry expert Kubilay Yildirim explained that understanding the development path of Türkiye’s anti-armour missile systems requires going back several years, when Ankara was seeking, alongside its medium-range missiles, a system that a single soldier could easily carry and launch.
He noted that this path began in the 1990s through cooperation between a French company and the Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE).
However, the project was cancelled in 2004 due to issues on the other side, prompting Türkiye to decide on indigenous development. This paved the way for work on the long-range anti-armour missile system (UMTAS).
Yildirim pointed out that the UMTAS project was launched with ambitious and distinctive requirements from the outset, marking a pivotal milestone in the evolution of Türkiye’s defence industry.
A key step was the development of an uncooled thermal sensor with sufficient resolution and high thermal sensitivity that could be fitted to a missile at an acceptable cost, along with the creation of the necessary infrastructure to produce such sensors.
The challenges went further, encompassing the development of a data transmission system to deliver the image to the operator, the ability to control the missile in flight when required, and enabling it to identify and strike its target autonomously in ‘fire-and-forget’ mode.
The development of the necessary processors and algorithms for these functions represented a major test — and one of the most significant qualitative achievements — of Türkiye’s defence industry.
Turkish ingenuity
Yildirim explained that the medium-range OMTAS system stood out not only for its guidance architecture but also for its flight and impact characteristics.
One of the project’s core requirements from the beginning was that the missile should be capable of being fired from enclosed spaces. This necessitated ensuring that no harm came to the operator, which was achieved by using a low-pressure launch motor.
He added that the system allows targets to be engaged even when they are behind obstacles. The requirements also included the ability to strike the upper surfaces of armoured vehicles — their weakest points — a capability successfully achieved by the OMTAS family.
Yildirim noted that the variety of launch, flight, guidance, and impact options provides high flexibility for the user. The missile can be launched from a concealed position, after which the team can quickly relocate and fire again from a different location.
According to the expert, the operator can also control the missile in flight when launched from behind cover and redirect it towards the most suitable target — whether at ranges exceeding 4 kilometres, in confined areas, or even in urban environments at distances of less than 100 metres.
He highlighted that the system is equipped with high-precision, long-range day-and-night sights, along with batteries that power these systems for extended periods, enabling users to conduct ambushes from enclosed positions.
He emphasised that the ‘top-attack’ mode is one of the important capabilities of this type of missile, given its effectiveness in targeting the weakest points of armoured vehicles.
Yildirim explained that after the development of the long-range UMTAS and medium-range OMTAS systems, the need arose for an anti-armour missile that a single soldier could easily carry and launch.
This led to the launch of the ‘TEK AT’ project in 2010, which eventually resulted in the Karaok missile. The system entered service with military units between 2020 and 2021.
He added that one of the standout advantages of ‘Karaok’ is that it is lighter than its global counterpart, the Javelin, while possessing more advanced optical systems and sensors.
Although its weight is similar to that of the South Korean Raybolt, Karaok offers a longer maximum range and a shorter minimum range, enhancing its flexibility and effectiveness on the battlefield.
