IDEF 2023: ROKETSAN Unveils The Short-Range BURÇ Mobile Air Defense System
ROKETSAN, one of Turkey’s leading defense industry companies, unveiled the BURÇ mobile air defense system, which it developed against unmanned aerial vehicles and loitering munitions, which have recently begun to pose a serious threat in modern warfare, for the first time at the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF 2023) in Istanbul. The new system was exhibited mounted on the Turkish armored vehicle manufacturer FNSS’s PARS IZCI 8X8 Tactical Wheeled Vehicle.
BURÇ is a short-range mobile air defense system designed to defend mobile/fixed units and facilities in the battlefield and in the rear against modern threats such as unmanned aerial vehicles, according to the information shared by Roketsan General Manager Murat İkinci. The primary weapon of this new system, which can be mounted on any 8X8 military vehicle, is 8 SUNGUR Air Defense Missiles mounted on 2 quadruple pods. The Sungur missile can use Imaging Infrared (IIR) Seeker to reach targets up to a maximum distance of 8 kilometers away, at an altitude of 4 kilometers, and at a minimum effective range of 500 meters. Furthermore, SUNGUR, which features an updatable Friend-Foe Identification (IFF) system, provides many advantages to the BURÇ system, including the capacity to lock on the target before launch and the ability to fire-and-forget.
As an auxiliary weapon, BURÇ employs a 3-barreled 20mm gun manufactured by TR Mekatronik. This rotating barreled weapon system, which is also used as a nose gun in Turkey’s domestic T-129 Atak attack and tactical reconnaissance helicopter, has a firing rate of approximately 750 rounds per minute and can be used with training, high explosive incendiary, and armor piercing ammunition that meets NATO standards if necessary.
The BURÇ system, which can detect and track multiple targets at the same time at a 360° angle, is equipped with four Meteksan Retinar AESA Hemisphere Defense Radars. This new active electronically scanned array radar can detect drones at 4 kilometers, tactical UAVs, and people at 10 kilometers, helicopters and small vehicles at 20 kilometers, and large vehicles at 24 kilometers. It can communicate data with the JREAP-C protocol and work in conjunction with the Air Defense Early Warning and Command and Control System (HERIKKS-6) interface. Furthermore, the system can be used both independently with its own sensors and in conjunction with an external early warning network.
The system, whose prototype production has already been completed, is expected to enter the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces after it enters mass production in the near future. The company has already started working to provide the new system to its overseas users when it is ready for use, evaluating 2023 to be the year of export and investment.