At IDEF 2021 Roketsan announced the delivery of the first Atmacaanti-ship missile to the Turkish Navy, following the end of the qualification process. At that time the company already mentioned a submarine launched version, which has materialised four years later at the Istanbul exhibition, its name being Akata
The Akata is the encapsulated version of the Atmaca anti-ship missile, already in service with the Turkish ArmedForces, which will gives Turkish Navy submarines the capability to launch a missile with an over 250 km range against enemy vessels.
The Akata maintains the same caracteristics of the Atmaca once it leaves the underwater environment, which means the same range, the same warhead, 220 kg high explosive blast fragmentation with effective penetration performances, and the navigation/guidance suite, based on inertial and satellite systems, a barometric and a radar altimeter providing sea-skimming capability. In the final attack phase, the RF seeker is activated for maximum accuracy. A data link ensures target update if needed, as well as re-attack or mission abort; in this case the submarine to keep a posture allowing it to maintain the link active. When used against fixed targets. Tipically land targets, the missile can be launched on coordinates, the submarine being therefore able to continue its navigation, the launch being in fact done in a fire-and-forget mode. The same might be true also for attacks against mobile targets, the RF seeker ensuring accurate terminal guidance, if no need of retargeting is needed.
In the submarine-launched version, which was announced years ago, the Atmaca is hosted into a 533 mm diametre contained, wings being folded, with a rear element fitted with fins and a front nose sealing the container, which brings the length to 7 metres, the missile itself being 5.2 meters long with booster, length being reduced to 4.3 meters in flight after the booster splits from the missile. As the Atmaca in the antiship version has a mass of around 750 kg, the sub container that transforms it in a sub-launched missile should have amass of around 450 kg; this might include an explusion system that would project the missile in the air before the bosster is ignited. The Akata can be launched at depths between 15 and 60 metres from the submarine heavy torpedo tubes.
Originally powered by the Safran TR40 turbojet engine of French origin, following the successful trials with the indigenous KTJ-3200 turbojet developed by Kale ARGE, new missiles should now be produced with the latter propulsion system.
Photos by P. Valpolini