CİRİT laser-guided missile is a 2.75-inch (70 mm) semi-active laser-guided missile system designed, developed, and produced by the Turkish defense industry company ROKETSAN. Named after the traditional Turkish equestrian combat game “cirit,” the system was developed to provide a cost-effective precision strike capability on the modern battlefield. The primary design objective of CİRİT is to bridge the tactical gap between unguided rockets and expensive anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). Thanks to its modular architecture, CİRİT can be deployed from attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), ground vehicles, and naval platforms.
Development Purpose and Design
In modern asymmetric warfare environments, high-value targets are not always heavily armored tanks. Firing salvos of thousands of dollars worth of unguided rockets with poor accuracy against targets such as light armored personnel carriers, radar antennas, weapon emplacements, or threat elements in buildings is not considered a cost-effective solution. Likewise, employing anti-tank missiles costing hundreds of thousands of dollars for such “soft” targets is economically unjustifiable. Unguided rockets lack precision, while anti-tank missiles are excessively expensive for these types of targets.
CİRİT was developed in response to this tactical need. The core objective of the project was to take the widely used 2.75-inch (70 mm) unguided rocket’s basic form factor and integrate onto it a semi-active laser seeker, a guidance and control section, and movable fins. This transforms the rocket into what can be described as a “smart rocket” or more accurately, a low-cost guided missile. This approach enables platforms already equipped with standard 70 mm rocket pods to gain precision strike capability with minimal modification or simply through integration with a smart launcher.
Technical Specifications and System Architecture
The CİRİT missile features a modular design composed of four main sections: seeker head, guidance and control unit, warhead, and rocket motor.
- Physical Dimensions:
- Diameter: 2.75 inches (70 mm)
- Length: 1.9 meters
- Weight: Approximately 15 kg (minor variations possible depending on warhead type)
- Performance Characteristics:
- Effective Range: Between 1.5 km (minimum) and 8 km (maximum). Roketsan continues development of variants extending the range beyond 10 km.
- Accuracy (CEP): Thanks to its semi-active laser guidance, the CİRİT’s Circular Error Probable (CEP) is relatively low, with deviation from the target limited to just a few meters.
- Guidance System:
- Seeker Head: The missile incorporates a semi-active laser seeker at its nose. This guidance method operates as follows: The target is “painted” with a laser designator by the launching platform itself (e.g., a helicopter), another friendly aerial asset (such as a UAV), or a forward ground observer. The CİRİT’s seeker locks onto the coded laser energy reflected from the target and directs the missile toward it using its control surfaces.
- Mid-course Guidance: After launch, the missile flies toward the general area of the target using an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) until reaching the terminal guidance phase. The laser seeker typically activates during the final phase of flight to acquire and lock onto the target.
- Warhead Options: Thanks to its modular design, CİRİT can be equipped with various warheads optimized for different target sets:
- Multipurpose Warhead: Combines armor-piercing, anti-personnel, and incendiary effects. Effective against light armored vehicles, buildings, and personnel targets.
- High-Explosive Fragmentation Warhead: Designed to generate a wide-area shrapnel effect against targets such as personnel and unarmored vehicles in open terrain.
- Thermobaric Warhead: Generates an intense shockwave of high temperature and pressure by consuming ambient oxygen upon detonation. This warhead is particularly effective against targets in confined spaces such as caves, bunkers, and building interiors.
- Propulsion System: CİRİT uses a low-smoke composite solid-fuel rocket motor. The low-smoke propellant minimizes the visual signature during launch, reducing the likelihood of the launching platform being detected by the enemy and enhancing survivability.
Cirit Missile (ROKETSAN)
Launch Platforms and Integration
CİRİT can be integrated into a wide variety of air, land, and sea platforms.
- Attack Helicopters: T129 ATAK, AH-1W SuperCobra, AH-1Z Viper, Eurocopter EC635.
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs/MALE UAVs): Bayraktar TB2, Bayraktar Akıncı, TUSAŞ Anka, Karayel.
- Ground Vehicles: Special launchers developed by Roketsan and mountable on armored vehicles.
- Naval Platforms: Coastal patrol boats, assault boats, and corvettes.
Missiles are typically launched via smart launchers that carry them in 2- or 4-round pods. These launchers serve as an interface between the missile and the platform’s fire control system, enabling target data to be loaded into the missile prior to launch.
Operational Use and Strategic Significance
CİRİT has been extensively used by the Turkish Armed Forces in counter-terrorism operations and cross-border missions, demonstrating its battlefield effectiveness in real-world conditions.
- Cost-Effective Precision: It has enabled the Turkish Armed Forces to destroy high-value but lightly protected targets without expending expensive anti-tank missiles, contributing significantly to reduced operational costs.
- Platform Versatility: Its compatibility with numerous different platforms has provided the Turkish Armed Forces with enhanced tactical flexibility. For example, a target designated by a UAV can be engaged and destroyed by a CİRİT missile launched from an attack helicopter or a ground vehicle.
- Exports: CİRİT has been exported to numerous countries including the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines, generating significant commercial revenue.
