Türkiye's new ammunition UCA to tie hands of enemy

By Goksel Yildirim

ANKARA (AA) - Turkiye's indigenously made air-launched guided smart underwater mine UCA is designed to surprise a military’s enemies on the battlefield.

According to information obtained by Anadolu, the UCA will be displayed at the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF), one of the world’s largest global defense events, which will be held this Tuesday to Friday in Turkiye's commercial capital Istanbul.

The UCA Project, a collaboration of Türkiye's Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation, KOC Defense, and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye's (TUBITAK) Defense Industries Research and Development Institute (SAGE), is a project to transform MK-84 general-purpose bombs into offensive naval mines by integrating the Winged Guidance Kit (KGK) called Gokce and smart target detection and mine firing unit.

With the Gokce KGK, which is among Türkiye's proven national technologies, MK series aircraft bombs can fly far from their launch point and provide precise strikes on the target.

With the UCA’s aerodynamic features and capabilities, aircraft and UAVs will be able to do remote offensive mine-laying on enemy naval base exits and transit routes without risking themselves.

UCA is a candidate to be the world’s first long-range smart underwater mine.

It will be carried by air platforms in Türkiye's inventory that can launch MK-84 GP Aircraft bombs, such as F-16s, F-4s, and the combat drones Akinci and Aksungur.

UCAs will be dropped from high altitudes and high speeds outside the range of low- to medium-altitude air defense systems and move to the mine-laying point through glider flight.

It will enter the sea from the target point without being detected by radar thanks to its radar-absorbing coating, and will be able to settle precisely on the seabed, where it will wait for the target ship with its acoustic absorbing coating.

UCA is an effective guided strategic ammunition that has the features of the MALAMAN target detection and firing system, which restricts the movement of enemy ships and submarines by detecting and classifying targets according to acoustic, magnetic, and pressure traces.

The mine will have pressure, vibration, magnetic anomaly and acoustic sensors.

UCA will have the ability to detect and destroy target ships with its advanced sensor fusion technology.

A functional ammunition that meets various needs is being developed with the experience and technological accumulation gained in the development processes of the MALAMAN smart underwater mine.

It is expected that the ammunition, whose development process is expected to be completed shortly, will enter test processes this year.