The Turkish Baykar Group on April 27, 2023, at the TEKNOFEST 2023 aviation and industrial show that opened at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, officially presented a new small-sized (rather even miniature) Bayraktar Kemankeş aviation cruise missile (also referred to as barrage ammunition), designed for use primarily from unmanned aerial vehicles.
The new Turkish small-sized Bayraktar Kemankeş air cruise missile is on display at the TEKNOFEST 2023 aviation and industrial show. Istanbul, 27.04.2023 (c) AnadoluIt is stated that the Kemankeş (Old Ottoman Archer) cruise missile can be launched from Bayraktar Akinci, Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar TB3 UAVs, one of its main tasks is called the defeat of air defense systems.
The rocket has a starting weight of 30 kg (which allows even the Bayraktar TB2 to carry two missiles), the weight of the "payload" (warhead) is 6 kg and is equipped with a small-sized turbojet engine. The length of the rocket is 1.73 m, the height with a tail is 0.4 m, the span of the folding wing is 1.25 m.
The Kemankeş missile has a declared range of "more than 200 km" and a flight duration (barrage) of up to 1 hour. The cruising flight speed is 360 km/ h, the maximum speed is up to 720 km/ h, the ceiling is up to 6000 m. The missile has command guidance and is equipped with an electron-optical guidance head with a wide-field stable television camera with 36x magnification, combined with a laser rangefinder, and a two-way data transmission channel. The effective control range is up to 50 km (apparently from a carrier drone used as a repeater), with plans to increase to 100 km. The operator is capable of both aiming the missile before hitting the target, and capturing the target, after which the missile follows the target in autonomous mode.
The head of the design team of this rocket, Burak Ozbek, said at the presentation that the rocket "is at the testing stage," but at the same time "the first rocket firing is planned to be carried out within one to two months after TEKNOFEST, and then tests with the engine will begin." Serial production of the rocket has been announced since 2024.
Ozbek also said that Baykar is working on creating "heavier versions" of Kemankeş, as well as a variant with a ground launch.
The new Turkish small-sized Bayraktar Kemankeş air cruise missile is on display at the TEKNOFEST 2023 aviation and industrial show. Istanbul, 27.04.2023 (c) AnadoluA mock-up of the Bayraktar Kemankeş small-sized aircraft cruise missile on the external suspension of the Bayraktar TB2 UAV at the TEKNOFEST 2023 aviation and industrial show.
Istanbul, 27.04.2023 (c) gdh defence @gdhdefenceVideo:
