Roketsan developed and produced a National Man-Portable Air Defence System (MANPADS) through national resources to replace the Stinger POST (FIM-92B) and Stinger RMP (FIM-92C) MANPADS in the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF). Dubbed as PORSAV, the National ManPADS is a fully autonomous ‘fire and forget’ missile equipped with a two-stage (booster motor and sustainer motor) solid propellant rocket motor and features Aselsan’s cooled Imaging Infrared (IIR) type seeker head (believed to operate in the three to five-micron waveband). The PORSAV is expected to be effective up to the altitude of 4km and a range of 6km+. The missile is believed to be armed with a 3kg high-explosive warhead (as in the case with Stinger missile) loaded with tungsten ball projectiles.

As the lowest level unit of Turkey’s layered air and missile defence capability the PORSAV has been undergoing development since 2013. According to Turkish Minsitry of National Defence (MoND)’s 2016 Activity Report in order to meet Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC)’s requirement Portable Air Defence Missile System (PHSFS) Project Contract was signed between the MoND and Roketsan on September 10, 2013. The PHSFS Project covers design, development and production phases and according to project schedule first delivery would take place in September 2020 and deliveries would be completed in September 2022. The PHSFS Project was handed over to the SSB on November 28, 2016. According to sources within the scope of the PHSFS Project first firing tests with Ballistic Test Missiles, Controlled Test Missiles and unarmed Seeker Guided Test Missiles took place in 2018 and 2019 at Sinop test range and guided firing tests with armed Seeker Guided Test Missiles (with live warhead) took place during the second half of June 2020. At short video shared by SSB DEMIR on July 1, 2020, also included sections from live firing test that conducted on June 17, 2020 against fixed target lifted some 20m from ground level and simulating static air target. During the test at least two live PORSAV missiles fired against fixed target.

On July 1, 2020 President of Defence Industries Ismail DEMIR announced with a tweet that Turkey’s new Mobile Low Level Short Range Air Defence System ‘SUNGUR’s tests were successfully completed and the brand new weapon is ready to be added to the TAF inventory. According to SSB DEMIR, the SUNGUR is able to engage its target while moving (shoot-on-the-move capability) and able to detect, identify and track its targets both in day and night conditions at 360-degree sector.

The SUNGUR self-propelled surface-to-air missile system which provides mobile, short-range air defence protection for ground units against cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, low-flying fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters is armed with PORSAV.  According to short video shared by SSB DEMIR at his official twitter account the SUNGUR features a 360-degree rotating gyro-stabilized (allowing the missile pod to maintain aiming direction regardless of vehicle motion) air defence turret mounted atop a BMC’s VURAN 4x4 Armoured Vehicle. The electrically controlled turret has two PORSAV missile launcher pods, each capable of firing 2 fire-and-forget IIR guided missiles in rapid succession and fitted with a Star SAFIRE 380 HLD FLIR System for target detection and track purpose. Contrary to ZIPKIN and ATILGAN PMS Systems in TLFC inventory the SUNGUR is not equipped with a .50-calibre automatic machine gun to cover the missile dead zone and engage ground targets. The SUNGUR is believed to be able communicate with TLFC’s Air Defence Early Warning and Command Control System (HERIKKS/Skywatcher), which permits external radar tracks and messages to be passed to the fire unit to alert and cue the gunner.

According to video SUNGUR is manned by a gunner, who operates inside the vehicle under armour protection. The gunner uses a control and display panel that features a multifunction colour display and two joysticks. Targets are acquired by using the STAR SAFIRE 380 HLD FLIR (forward-looking infrared), which features a laser range finder and a video auto tracker. The FLIR sensor provides SUNGUR with a target acquisition capability in obscured battlefields, at night, and in adverse weather.

The SUNGUR Low Level Air Defence System and PORSAV National MANPADS is expected to enter service with the TAF in late 2020. As pointed out by SSB DEMIR, the SUNGUR/PORSAV will be also integrated with Land, Air and Sea platforms in the inventory of the TAF in near future.