Update: Roketsan details progress on Midlas VLS

A Hisar missile is fired from TCG Istanbul off Sinop on the northern Turkish coast during a test firing in March 2024. (Roketsan)

During the 12th Naval Systems Seminar held in Istanbul, Mustafa Özdemir, head of launch systems at Roketsan, provided a detailed overview of the company's progress on its Midlas indigenous vertical launch system (VLS).

“Midlas is fundamentally more than a launcher,” Özdemir said. “It's a scalable, high-capacity, vertical launch system that not only stores and launches guided munitions but also serves as a munition depot with integrated safety systems.”

Developed in response to export restrictions on foreign systems initially intended for the Turkish Navy's Milgem-class corvettes, Midlas offers an indigenous, flexible, and expandable solution for the Turkish Navy's growing surface combatant fleet.

A key design objective was space efficiency. “We can fit eight cells into just six square metres,” Özdemir said. “Once the quad-pack configuration is finalised, that same footprint will be able to host up to 32 missiles.”

Two configurations of Midlas have been developed. The tactical-length Midlas, which is deployed on TCG Istanbul , is 6.7 m long, weighs 15 tonnes, and has an eight-cell capacity.

The strike-length Midlas, which is planned for use from the sixth Milgem ship onwards, is 8 m long, weighs 18 tonnes, and has an eight-cell capacity.

Integration is below deck and requires minimal modification to the host ship. “On TCG Istanbul , we achieved full integration without needing to uninstall the launcher at any point,” Özdemir said. The system interfaces with the ADVENT combat management system via ethernet and includes a status panel for external fault monitoring, as well as a remote arming panel inside the combat information centre.