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Kosovo Receives New Batch of Turkish-Made Roketsan OMTAS Anti-Tank Missile Systems.
Kosovo has taken delivery of another batch of OMTAS anti-tank missile systems from Türkiye’s Roketsan, confirming continued execution of a 2023 contract. The shipment matters because repeat deliveries turn a headline purchase into a credible, trainable deterrent against armored threats.
A statement issued on January 7, 2026, by Acting Defense Minister Ejup Maqedonci confirmed that Kosovo has received the next delivery of OMTAS anti-tank missile systems procured from Roketsan. The missiles are part of a procurement agreement signed in December 2023 with Türkiye, and were characterized by Maqedonci as a practical enhancement of Kosovo’s defensive capacity rather than a symbolic acquisition. The delivery marks Kosovo’s progression from initial procurement to sustained fielding, a phase that determines whether a system becomes embedded in routine training and credible operational planning. In a regional security environment where armored vehicles and prepared defensive positions continue to shape military calculations, the distinction between a single acquisition and consistent resupply carries tangible deterrent significance.
Kosovo confirmed on 7 January 2026 that it has received a new batch of Roketsan OMTAS anti-tank missile systems under a December 2023 procurement deal with Türkiye, marking a shift from initial purchase to sustained fielding and training (Picture Source: Army Recognition Group)
OMTAS is engineered for the kind of terrain and engagement geometry Kosovo faces, where lines of sight can open suddenly across valleys, roads, and urban fringes, then collapse just as quickly. Roketsan defines OMTAS as a medium-range anti-tank missile system designed to defeat armored threats, with a stated maximum range of 4 km and an Imaging Infrared (IIR) seeker enabling day and night use, including adverse weather conditions. For Kosovo’s small-unit defense model, that IIR seeker is more than a line in a brochure: it supports passive target acquisition and tracking without the telltale cues associated with some older guidance modes, improving survivability for dismounted teams that need to remain concealed after launch.
What elevates OMTAS from a basic guided weapon to a flexible battlefield tool is the RF data link between the launcher and the missile, which Roketsan highlights as a driver of operational flexibility. In practical terms, this means crews can employ the missile in fire-and-forget mode when speed and immediate displacement matter, or in fire-and-update mode when the situation demands tighter control after launch, such as when a target moves behind partial cover or when the operator needs to refine aim in a cluttered environment. Roketsan also specifies both lock-on before launch and lock-on after launch options, a combination that matters in Kosovo’s mixed terrain because it allows engagement either from direct line of sight or with the seeker acquiring the target after the missile is already in flight.
The missile’s physical characteristics also indicate how Kosovo can field it at scale. Roketsan lists OMTAS at 1.8 m in length, 160 mm in diameter, and 35 kg in weight. Those dimensions point to a system suited for trained anti-tank teams operating from prepared firing points rather than casual shoulder-fired use, but still manageable enough to be moved tactically with infantry elements when properly supported. For commanders, that translates into predictable employment: teams can be positioned to cover choke points and likely armor routes, then relocate when the tactical picture shifts, a pattern that fits a defensive doctrine built on ambush geometry and terrain denial.
On lethality, Roketsan emphasizes an armor-piercing tandem high-explosive anti-tank blast warhead for engaging armored vehicles, while also listing fragmentation and thermobaric effects within the warhead family. The tandem anti-armor configuration signals intent to defeat protected targets, while the availability of other effects broadens the practical target set to include lightly armored vehicles and field fortifications. Roketsan explicitly frames the target category as tanks and light armored vehicles, aligning with the role Kosovo is building: a medium-range layer that can punish armored thrusts before they close to direct-fire range, while also giving infantry a stand-off option against lighter protected platforms.
Maqedonci’s emphasis on strengthening defense capabilities is best understood through how OMTAS can be integrated. Roketsan lists tripod and land-vehicle platforms, offering Kosovo two complementary pathways as stocks grow. Tripod employment supports dispersed anti-armor teams that can be hidden, rotated, and concentrated where needed, a classic defensive approach that forces an attacker to slow down, probe, and commit reconnaissance assets before maneuvering armor. Vehicle integration, if pursued, would shift OMTAS toward a more mobile ambush and rapid-response role, allowing anti-armor firepower to relocate quickly along road networks or reinforce threatened sectors without waiting for teams to move into position. Even without Kosovo detailing platform plans in the announcement, the system’s built-in flexibility gives planners room to scale capability from infantry-centric defense toward more maneuverable combined-arms concepts over time.
A detail that adds context to Kosovo’s OMTAS deliveries emerged on the show floor at IDEF 2025, where Roketsan also presented L-OMTAS as part of the same anti-tank family and stressed launcher commonality. In the displayed configuration, the missiles were shown side by side with the same class of canisterized launch approach and a common tripod and sighting unit, underlining the manufacturer’s pitch that users can expand capability without rebuilding the entire firing ecosystem. The exhibit boards highlighted OMTAS as a medium-range anti-tank weapon system and L-OMTAS as a laser guided medium-range anti-tank weapon system, with the two missiles positioned as complementary rounds rather than competitors, one emphasizing seeker autonomy and the other emphasizing extended reach. Visually, the booth layout made the message unmissable: a single launcher architecture, multiple missile options, and an upgrade path that can be paced to budgets and training capacity.
The OMTAS and L-OMTAS share a common technical base but differ in guidance method and effective range, which directly influences their operational use. OMTAS is a medium-range anti-tank guided missile with an effective range of up to 4 km, relying on an imaging infrared seeker that enables fire-and-forget and fire-and-update engagement modes, allowing the operator to take cover immediately after launch or retarget during flight. It measures approximately 1.8 m in length, has a diameter of 160 mm, and a weight of around 35 kg, making it suitable for integration on infantry tripods, vehicles, and remote weapon stations. L-OMTAS, by contrast, extends the engagement range to about 5.5 km while reducing overall weight to roughly 32 kg and length to 1.75 m. Its defining feature is laser guidance, which requires continuous target designation but enables longer-range engagements and potentially improved accuracy against stationary or slow-moving targets. While both missiles are designed to defeat modern armored threats and share similar physical dimensions and launcher compatibility, OMTAS prioritizes operator survivability and autonomy through infrared guidance, whereas L-OMTAS emphasizes extended reach and precision through laser designation, offering complementary capabilities within the same anti-tank weapon family.
The larger implication of this delivery is that Kosovo is accumulating not just missiles but a repeatable anti-armor skillset. A guided weapon becomes strategically meaningful when units can train realistically, maintain launcher readiness, and hold enough missiles to deter rather than simply demonstrate. By publicly confirming another shipment, Maqedonci is signaling continuity: the December 2023 contract is translating into tangible inventory, and Kosovo’s defensive posture is steadily gaining a modern, medium-range precision option designed for day-night, all-weather engagements and flexible post-launch control. In the Western Balkans, where perceptions of capability can shape behavior as much as formal statements do, a growing, technically modern anti-tank missile stockpile is a quiet but consequential form of deterrence.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.