IDEF 2019: Aselsan reveals Gökdeniz naval close-in weapon system

Aselsan unveiled its new close-in weapon system (CIWS) for naval platforms at the International Defence Industry Fair 2019 (IDEF 2019) exhibition, held in Istanbul from 30 April to 3 March.

The CIWS carried the designation ‘Gökdeniz’, although it was previously known as the Korkut-D CIWS, after the Korkut land system from which it is derived.

The company stated in a press release that the system completed firing trials in May 2018 under the supervision of Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industries and the Turkish Naval Forces Command.

During the trials the system was used to autonomously engage a high-speed target drone designed to represent a sea-skimming anti-ship missile.

The Aselsan Gökdeniz CIWS was unveiled at this year's IDEF exhibition. The system could find an application on Turkey's Yavuz-class frigates and MILGEM corvettes. (IHS Markit/Patrick Allen)

The release stated that the Gökdeniz system “provides the most effective air defence against the possible target set, [which includes] subsonic and supersonic anti-ship missiles, UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], fighters, helicopters and asymmetric surface threats.”

The system is armed with two 35 mm automatic cannons fed by an automatic linkless feed system, which enables it to select one of two ammunition types to suit the intended target.

The primary round for use against missiles and drones would be the Atom air-burst round developed by Aselsan, which is a programmable round with an effective range of 4 km.

Each cannon can fire 550 rounds per minute, which would enable the system to lay down a screen of fire against a small, high-speed target, thereby increasing the likelihood of a successful interception.