The devastating earthquakes in Turkey, apart from the human tragedy with the loss of thousands of Turkish civilians buried under the rubble and the massive material destruction they caused, would have been expected to automatically mean a suspension or even a slowdown of Turkish armaments programs.
However, this is not the case, as we have highlighted with many of our articles, with the result that Erdoğan continues his country's armament program unabated.
UAV-230 hypersonic ballistic missile
Now comes a new article from the Turkish defense industry to draw our attention once again to the ongoing Turkish weapons program, pointing out the following:
"Developed by Roketsan, the UAV-230, a supersonic air-to-surface ballistic missile. The first test launch of the UAV-230 missile was carried out by AKINCI TİHA in December 2022. Roketsan, which has significant expertise in multiple-barrel missile launcher systems and the missiles used in these systems, has developed the UAV-230 to match the TRG-230 Land-to-Ground Ballistic Missile.
The UAV-230 hypersonic ballistic missile has a range of 150+ kilometers. As part of the first test firing of the UAV-230 missile, AKINCI TİHA, which took off from Çorlu in December 2022, flew about 700 kilometers to reach the test site in Sinop.
The TRG230-UAV missile, which was launched at the target set in Sinop by AKINCI TİHA from an altitude of 25,000 feet, successfully hit its target from a distance of over 100 kilometers.
The effective range of the missile is 150 kilometers, depending on the speed and height at which it is launched. The UAV-230, which has a particle warhead, also has armored or thermobaric warhead variants against different types of targets.
The UAV-230 is an important missile in terms of world war doctrines. After being released from the UAV, it performs a free fall in the air for a certain period of time and then autonomously fires its solid fuel engine. The UAV-230 is precisely guided to the target with its GNSS-supported inertial guidance capability.
The system works with the ability to throw and guide itself to the target. It offers the user the opportunity to use it in critical missions without going deep into enemy positions. On the other hand, it is very difficult to destroy the missile with conventional air defense measures.
Technical specifications
Operating range 150+ km (*depends on altitude and speed)
Warhead 42 kg Particle Effect, Armor Piercing and Thermobaric Options
Weight 225 kg
Size 3.4m
Target Set Mobile and Embedded Enemy Air Defense Elements, Radar or Communication Elements, Command Centers, Light Armor, other vehicles and targets
The threat to our islands
That said, we understand that due to the range of the above missile, our islands east of the 25th meridian and the targets it can hit on them, are within its capabilities.
The fact that the UAV-230s can be dropped by UAVs flying over mainland Turkey is an additional minus for the Greek air defense, minimizing the chances of their destruction.
Finally, the fact of indigenous production and the fact that Greece cannot harm the Turkish territory as a whole is another Turkish advantage.
In our view, Greece should:
1. To acquire additional Patriot anti-aircraft missiles which form the backbone of its air defense, due to their overconsumption that it will face in a possible military conflict with Turkey.
2. To promote from now on our islands and especially on micro-islands in the Aegean, but also in Thrace, additional portable anti-aircraft MANPADS and anti-tank systems.
3. To acquire large numbers of cheap kamikaze drones and UCAVs, as well as marine USVs.
4. To IMMEDIATELY proceed with the purchase of very long-range surface-to-surface missile systems, capable of hitting the Turkish hinterland even beyond Ankara.
