ROKETSAN KARAOK

History

ROKETSAN KARAOK is a Turkish man-portable short-range anti-tank guided missile designed for day and night engagement of armored and other ground targets. The system uses fire-and-forget guidance and can employ direct-attack or top-attack trajectories.

KARAOK was developed as a lightweight infantry weapon with a 125 mm missile, an imaging infrared seeker, a tandem armor-piercing warhead, and a stated range of 2.5 km. The missile and launching tube together weigh less than 16 kg.

Although conceived primarily as an anti-tank weapon, KARAOK has also demonstrated the ability to engage a low-altitude aerial target. This expands the types of targets that the missile can address without changing its original anti-armor role.

Development and introduction

ROKETSAN began work on KARAOK in 2016. The program was intended to provide Turkish forces with a domestically developed short-range anti-tank weapon comparable in tactical role to contemporary foreign man-portable guided missiles.

KARAOK reached initial operational capability in 2020 and was subsequently inducted into the Turkish Army in 2022.

Aerial-target test

In September 2026, KARAOK successfully engaged an aerial target for the first time. The test used a drone resembling the Shahed configuration as the target. The missile pursued and struck the drone directly, destroying it without detonation of the warhead.

The test demonstrated that the seeker and guidance system could track and engage a low-altitude airborne target in addition to the stationary and moving ground targets for which KARAOK was originally developed.

Design

KARAOK is a portable short-range anti-tank guided missile system intended for infantry use. Its compact launching arrangement allows the weapon to be carried and employed without the larger launcher assemblies associated with longer-range anti-tank systems.

Missile and propulsion

The missile has a diameter of 125 mm and a length of approximately 1.1 m. A two-stage solid-propellant motor is used. The propulsion arrangement is designed to permit firing from enclosed spaces, increasing the weapon's flexibility in urban terrain and from protected firing positions.

Guidance

KARAOK uses an imaging infrared seeker and inertial guidance. The imaging infrared seeker provides day and night target engagement capability. The missile operates on a fire-and-forget basis, allowing the operator to leave the firing position after launch rather than continuously guiding the missile to the target.

The missile supports both direct attack and top attack. Direct attack sends the missile toward the target on a comparatively direct trajectory, while top attack is intended to strike an armored vehicle from above.

Warhead

KARAOK carries an armor-piercing tandem warhead. The tandem configuration is intended for engagement of armored targets, including targets protected by additional armor systems. The exact mass of the missile and warhead has not been publicly specified.

Operational history

The Turkish Army inducted KARAOK in 2022. The system is intended for short-range anti-armor engagements against both stationary and moving targets and can operate during day or night.

The September 2026 aerial-target engagement demonstrated an additional low-altitude target capability. The successful interception did not change KARAOK's classification as a short-range anti-tank guided missile, but it showed that the existing system could also be employed against certain aerial threats.

Operators

• Turkey — KARAOK entered Turkish Army service in 2022.

Specifications (KARAOK)

General characteristics

• Type: Man-portable short-range anti-tank guided missile system
• Missile diameter: 125 mm
• Missile length: approximately 1.1 m
• Missile and launching tube weight: less than 16 kg
• Propulsion: two-stage solid-propellant rocket motor
• Warhead: armor-piercing tandem warhead

Performance

• Range: 2.5 km
• Attack modes: direct attack and top attack
• Operating conditions: day and night

Guidance

• Seeker: imaging infrared
• Guidance: imaging infrared seeker with inertial guidance
• Operating mode: fire-and-forget
• Supported targets: stationary and moving ground targets; low-altitude aerial-target engagement has also been demonstrated