MERSIN, Turkey — Turkish missile-maker Roketsan signed a contract with Indonesia this month to supply Khan missiles and a multilayer air defense system for the Asian nation’s military.
This is the first time the Khan missile system, an export version of the combat-proven Bora ballistic missile system, will enter the inventory of a force other than the Turkish military.
The deal was announced at the Indo Defence Expo & Forum, which ran Nov. 2-5. Speaking to Turkish media, Roketsan’s deputy general manager, Murat Kurtulus, stressed the importance of the Southeast Asian market to the company.
“We will soon be putting our first products into the service of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense thanks to the contracts we have signed,” Kurtulus said. “These are two different products. The Khan missile system is the first. This is a significant weapon system with a range of 280 kilometers and high precision in the battlefield’s depths. The Indonesian military will be the system’s first foreign user.”
Kurtulus also noted the company will develop a tailor-made air defense system for the Indonesian Army.
“The second contract is about the layered air defense system. The Indonesian Ministry of Defense had different requirements in this regard. We have created a new model in collaboration with our international business partners. A technical and financial model has been developed. We will present our first layered air defense system products as two separate medium- and long-range systems here. In the coming months, we will also discuss close air defense systems,” Kurtulus explained.
Roketsan officials did not reveal additional information about the layered air defense system, and the company declined to answer Defense News’ inquiries about the contracts’ values and delivery timelines.
According to Roketsan brochures, the Khan missile can launch from a multi-barrel rocket launcher on an eight-wheel drive vehicle. In accordance with the customer’s requirements, it can also launch from other tactical wheeled vehicles.
The 280-kilometer-range (174-mile-range) missile weighs about 2,500 kilograms (5,512 pounds) with a 470-kilogram (1,036-pound) high-explosive warhead. Khan missiles are managed via aerodynamic control with an electromechanical actuation system, and supported with GPS and inertial guidance system technology.
It’s rumored the Indonesian Navy is interested in Turkey’s Atmaca anti-ship missile system, though Roketsan has not confirmed this.
However, Kurtulus did not Indonesia’s “very large coastlines” and islands, adding that the country “needs naval systems and surface-to-surface guided missiles. We want and hope that we can further develop the cooperation that we signed for the first time at this exhibition in the near future.”
Tayfun Ozberk is a Turkey correspondent for Defense News.
