KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — Turkish defence systems manufacturer, Roketsan, will deliver the first batch of its Karaok portable short-range anti-tank missile system to the Malaysian Armed Foces (ATM) by early 2026.

Roketsan regional manager for Central Asia and the Far East, Chumur Murat Boz said with that delivery, Malaysia would be the first foreign country to get it hands on the company’s newest addition anti-tank missile, after it was used by the Turkish military.

"There is a huge demand for portable manned anti-tank and air defence systems all around the world. Malaysian will be our first delivery for Karaok. Last year we signed the contract and we hope, according to the contract, to have it delivered at the beginning of 2026.

"We do not see the Malaysian Armed Forces as our customer, but as our strategic partners and we would like to add value and contribute to the safety and security of Malaysia and its armed forces,” he said.

He said this to Bernama in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Defence Services Asia (DSA) and National Security (NatSec) Asia 2024 exhibition here, today.

Last year, the Malaysian Defence Ministry had officially selected the Karaok to meet the country’s needs for an anti-tank guided missile system.

The Karaok is intended to replace the Metis-M (AT-13 Saxhorn), a medium-range anti-tank guided missile system manufactured by Russia, which has been in service with the Malaysian Army for the past 20 years.

Besides being equiped with "fire and forget” launching mode, the Karaok was designed to engage main battle tanks or any armored vehicles at a maximum range of 2.5 kilometres through both direct and top-attack methods, similar to the American made FGM-148 Javelin guided anti-tank missile.

Elaborating further, Boz said Roketsan would provide intensive training programmes to ATM personnel prior to Karaok’s delivery.

"We would like to give this training to the users just before the delivery...we will also provide training for trainers so that they will be able to train the upcoming trainers,” he said, adding that it will be conducted via simulator and real-life exercises.

He however, did not diclose the quantity of Karaok procured by Malaysia as well as its contract value.

It was earlier reported that it involves a total of 18 launchers of the system, along with more than 100 anti-tank guided missiles. — Bernama