TCG Istanbul, the lead ship of the homegrown I-class frigates, recently carried out a significant test in the Black Sea. It launched a surface-to-air missile, the HISAR-D, from the MIDLAS VLS, marking the successful completion of sea trials for this new vertical launching system. This milestone also stands as the maiden missile firing for the TCG Istanbul, which joined the Turkish Navy just a few months ago.
Prof. Gorgun shared footage of the firing test on his official X (ex-Twitter) account and emphasized the significance of gaining such a critical capability for the Turkish Navy.
“Within the scope of our project, the development activities of which are ongoing, SIPER, SAPAN and ATMACA Missiles will be able to be launched from MIDLAS in the coming period, and we will launch other long-range guided missiles from MIDLAS in the future.”
Prof. Haluk Gorgun, Head of SSB
The Chief of the Turkish Navy, Admiral Ercüment Tatlioglu, underlined that all of the equipment in this test was locally made.
“The first indigenous frigate TCG Istanbul launched the first indigenous naval SAM HISAR-D from the first indigenous vertical launching system MIDLAS.”
Admiral Ercüment Tatlioglu, Chief of the Turkish Navy
Another important aspect of the firing tests was the launch of the HİSAR-D RF Missile using the integrated use of all other ship radar/sensor and fire control systems, especially the ADVENT combat management system on TCG Istanbul. With this test, the safe separation test of the HISAR-D Missile from TCG Istanbul was also completed.
TCG Istanbul passed through the Strait of Istanbul on March 02, 2024 and was deployed in the Black Sea. While most Turkish defence industry missile testing is conducted at the Black Sea test site, the appearance of MIDLAS these days was somewhat expected.
MIDLAS stands as a vertical launch system engineered by Roketsan. Its development gained momentum following the cancellation of the Mk 41 VLS deal due to US sanctions prompted by Turkey’s procurement of the S-400 air defense system, which led to the termination of collaboration in the F35 JSF project. Despite these challenges, the project was swiftly realized.
Following the first firing trial of MIDLAS in December 2023, the system was swiftly integrated into the TCG Istanbul, initiating sea trials promptly. The sea trials culminated in the actual firing of the HISAR-D (D-Deniz, meaning Sea) missile from MIDLAS, constituting the shipborne variant of the RF iteration within the HISAR air defence missile series. While the company has not disclosed specific missile specifications, open sources estimate its range to be approximately 35-40 km.
In the initial phase, the MIDLAS will give air defense capability to Turkish Navy ships by launching indigenous Hisar-D missiles. Later, SIPER Block-1 (a long-range air defense system), ATMACA, and other national missiles will be integrated into MIDLAS. This will allow the Turkish Navy to deploy a wide range of defensive and offensive missiles on its platforms.
