LEVENT short-range air defence missile was spotted near the KAAN fighter during the exhibition for the NATO Summit, signalling an alternative to BOZDOĞAN.
ROKETSAN's LEVENT point defence missile made a surprise appearance as a possible air-to-air missile near KAAN TUSAŞ’sng TUSAŞ's exihibition. This is rather surprising, as TÜBİTAK SAGE's BOZDOĞAN is being integrated on KAAN for close-range encounters at ranges up to 25 km. This appearance suggests LEVENT might be pitched as an alternative WVRAAM for KAAN's side weapon bays to house the short-range missiles.
LEVENT was mainly developed as a short-range air defence missile to be used on the LEVENT PDMS for warships, with air-to-air use not being on the table when it first appeared.
The missile, using an IIR seeker assisted by passive RF sensors, weighs 75 kg and can reach a range of 11 km. The missile meant to succeed the US-made RIM-116 RAM adopts a tandem front fin layout, which allows enhanced manoeuvrability by offsetting the aerodynamic centre forward.
When it comes to the question of its use on KAAN, LEVENT, as a considerably lighter aircraft than BOZDOĞAN (Weighing 140 kg), using folding fins, might be used as a high-capacity missile, as (in theory) two missiles might fit inside the side bays. Additionally, the range of 11 km would be longer when fired from a fighter jet.
ROKETSAN is also set to provide the GÖKBORA solid fuel ramjet-powered BVRAAM for KAAN, which will form the long-range air-to-air capability alongside TÜBİTAK SAGE's liquid fuel ramjet-powered GÖKHAN. GÖKBORA also features folding tail fins to increase carriage efficiency for internal bay use.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
