Malaysian Army to receive Turkey's KaraOK anti-tank guided weapons

The KaraOk anti-tank guided weapon (pictured above) is fitted with a tandem high-explosive anti-tank warhead designed to defeat explosive reactive armour. (Rocketsan Missiles Inc)

The Malaysian Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has selected Turkey's defence company Roketsan's KaraOK anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) for the Malaysian Army requirement of 18 medium-range anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) systems, Rahayu Bahaudin, general manager at Malaysia's Ketech Asia, told Janes on 26 October.

The contract has been signed, and Ketech Asia – which is acting as a system integrator in the agreement – will supply the Malaysian Army with 18 KaraOKs from Turkey, according to Bahaudin.

Janes assesses the new ATGM systems will replace the Metis-Ms in service with the Malaysian Army for the past 20 years. Malaysia purchased up to 24 Metis-M launchers and about 100 missiles in 2001.

In March MINDEF requested bids to procure 18 medium-range ATGM systems with at least one missile in the launching tube. The tender also included the delivery of one indoor simulator, three outdoor simulators, three cut-open missiles, and test equipment.

In the bid document, MINDEF said the requirement will equip the anti-tank platoon of the infantry battalion with new ATGM systems that can engage and destroy enemy armour at a distance between 2,000 and 4,000 m.

According to Janes Weapons: Infantry, the KaraOK is a manportable, lock-on-before-launch, fire-and-forget, ATGW system. The KaraOK missile can follow either a top attack or a direct attack flightpath.

The KaraOK comprises two main components: the command launch unit (CLU) and a complete round of ammunition. The KaraOK system employs a reusable CLU, similar to that of the Javelin system.

The CLU features an eyepiece, a pair of vertical control grips, day and night sensors, and a main battery for the system.