The new missile fired from AKINCI UCAV hit the target 55 km distance. İHA-122 is developed from the TRG-122 122 mm guided artillery rocket, much like its predecessor UAV-230, based on the TRG-230 230 mm guided artillery rocket.
Considering the nature of air-launched ballistic munitions, UAV-122 will likely achieve longer ranges at the following firing tests. This can be explained by different altitudes of launch contributing to the range. This can be observed in the UAV-230 missile, where the range went up to 140 km from 100 km of the first firing test.
It is important to note that air launch of normally ground-launched ballistic munitions increases the range with altitude difference and a more lateral flight path.
(Photo UAV-230)
UAV-122 can be regarded as the lighter and cheaper alternative to UAV-230. The lower weight can allow for increased capacity, beneficial for either saturation attacks at medium ranges or better freedom of carriage of other payloads. For comparison, UAV-230 weighs 225 kg, whereas UAV -122 can be expected to have a weight identical to TRG-122’s 76 kg.
