The NAZAR system was first displayed at the IDEF 2021 exhibition in Istanbul in August 2021. Following the initial announcement of the system, there were some rumors in the Turkish media that the system had been accepted by the Turkish Navy; however, there was no official announcement or evidence that the system was being used by Turkish warships.
According to a Turkish Navy document, the first laser EW system named “GABYA-LETS,” which was developed as part of the NAZAR project, was fitted on the Gabya-class (Oliver Hazard Perry class) frigate TCG GOKOVA (F-496) on March 21, 2021. This date is approximately 5 months earlier than the system’s unveiling at IDEF 2021.
“The first Laser Electronic Attack System (LETS) in the Turkish Armed Forces, the GABYA-LETS was installed into the TCG GOKOVA (F-496) on 22 March 2021 as part of the NAZAR Project. This system was designed to take “softkill” measures against Electro-Optical guided missiles.”
Turkish Navy’s Milestones document
In the latest photos of TCG Gokova, the GABYA-LETS system can be seen above the STIR fire control radar. (The GABYA-LETS system is in green square, STIR tracker is in red square).
About NAZAR project
The NAZAR project, which contains technology that very few countries in the world are working on, is considered a strategically important project for Turkey with its laser soft-kill capability. The system was developed with the ability to detect EO and IR-guided missiles and use laser-blinding dazzling and soft-kill techniques against missiles with this characteristic. This will make it possible to neutralize EO /IR-guided missiles from a long distance.
NAZAR is designed to be effective not only against known EO /IR-guided missiles but also to have reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities that provide an advantage against asymmetric threats thanks to its broadband capability. The system will also be able to work in an integrated manner with other sensors and systems to increase overall efficiency.
Nazar’s power requirements are less than 10 kW, and the system has its own generator for testing on land. On board ships, the system will rely on the ship’s own power supply.
Here is our DIMDEX 2022 coverage of NAZAR DIRCM system.
