ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish defense prime ROKETSAN is advancing the deployment and operational integration of the LEVENT Point Defense Missile System (PDMS), significantly enhancing the close-in air defense capabilities of the Turkish Naval Forces. Designed to counter sea-skimming anti-ship missiles, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), loitering munitions, and incoming fixed/rotary-wing airborne threats at ranges of up to 11 kilometers, LEVENT represents a major step toward sovereign naval defense by providing an indigenous alternative to legacy foreign platforms such as the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM).
Developed in close tactical coordination with ASELSAN’s GÖKSUR Point Defense Missile System architecture, LEVENT provides modular launcher flexibility for a wide variety of surface combatants. Each 70 kg missile features a dual-mode guidance package incorporating passive Radio Frequency (RF) and Imaging Infrared (IIR) seekers. This enables the weapon to operate either directly via the host ship’s combat management system (CMS) and radar networks or autonomously using its own seeker head during terminal engagement.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: ROKETSAN LEVENT & NAVAL PDMS ARCHITECTURE
* Missile Mass: 70 kg
* Missile Diameter: 128 mm
* Maximum Operational Range: 11 km
* Guidance & Seeker Technology: Dual-mode passive RF and Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker head capable of mid-course updates and autonomous terminal target homing
* Primary Target Profile: Low-RCS sea-skimming anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles, UAVs, and low-flying aircraft
* Modular Launcher Configurations:
* 21-Cell Standard Configuration: Sensorless launcher designed for deep integration into host platform systems, relying on the vessel’s primary radars and Combat Management System (CMS) for target cueing and engagement.
* 11-Cell Autonomous Configuration: A self-contained, stand-alone launcher equipped with an integrated Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and a turreted Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensor suite for independent threat detection and engagement.
* System Synergy & Ecosystem: Operates alongside ASELSAN’s GÖKSUR PDMS, which utilizes the BOZDOĞAN-DH (GÖKSUR IIR) missile—a navalized derivative of the BOZDOĞAN air-to-air missile featuring folding control surfaces and a two-way data link designed to pair with sensors like ASELSAN’s AKREP 200-N AESA radar.
This multi-tiered development offers the Turkish Navy a versatile portfolio of short-range point defense options, securing critical surface combatants against high-density saturation strikes.
