Turkish missile manufacturer Roketsan conducted the first test launch of the HISAR RF surface-to-air missile from the indigenous vertical launch system (VLS) called MIDLAS (Milli Dikey Atim Lancer Sistemi, National Vertical Launch System) on December 03, 2022. Turkish Ministry of Defence announced the first test launch of the MIDLAS was successfully carried out by Roketsan with an indigenous HISAR RF missile at the Aksaray test range. Hisar-RF is the radar seeker variant of Hisar-O which first tested in August 2020. It is estimated that the H?SAR-RF Missile uses an imaging infrared seeker (IIR).
The MIDLAS will replace Lockheed Martin’s Mk 41 VLS, which was originally intended for the I-class frigates. Roketsan accelerated the national VLS project, initially intended for the TF-2000 air defense destroyers after 2027. Developed under the MILGEM national warship program as the I-class frigate, the Istanbul class is an enlarged version of the Ada-class anti-submarine corvette, with enhanced endurance and MIDLAS Vertical Launching System (VLS) for multi-role capability. The MIDLAS will give air defense capability to Turkish Navy ships by launching indigenous Hisar RF missiles. Later, SIPER Block-1, ATMACA, and other indigenous missiles.
In late 2017, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and Russian officials signed an agreement worth $2.5 billion for the delivery of the S-400 air defence system units. The U.S. imposed Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions on Turkey in 2020. The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) is a United States federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The bill was passed by the Senate on July 27, 2017, 98–2, after it passed the House 419–3. On 14 December, 2020, the United States imposed the sanctions on Turkey, and the sanctions included a ban on all U.S. export licenses.
Roketsan Roket Sanayii ve Ticaret A.S. is a major Turkish weapons manufacturer and defense contractor based in Ankara. Incorporated in 1988 by Turkey’s Defense Industry Executive Committee (SS?K) to establish the nation’s industrial base on missile technology, the company has quickly risen to become one of Turkey’s top 500 industrial corporations. Roketsan’s current share holders include Turkish Armed Forces Foundation (55.5%), ASELSAN (15%), MKEK (15%), Vak?flar Bankas? (10%), HAVELSAN (4.5%). The company also produces subsystems for Stinger, Rapier and ESSM missiles and provides technology and engineering solutions for other integrated civilian and military platforms.
