– STM Defense Technologies Engineering and Trading Inc., which develops national and modern systems in line with Turkey’s goal of a fully independent defense industry, has made a new development in the tactical mini UAV field, of which it is a pioneer in Turkey.
Closely following the changing battlefields and rapidly developing solutions, STM integrated an armor-piercing warhead into Turkey’s first national strike UAV, “STM KARGU”, which it developed with national resources and is effectively used in the fight against terrorism. After an intensive development phase, the armor-piercing KARGU, which entered the field, hit the designated target with full accuracy in its first test shot. Taking off with armour-piercing ammunition, KARGU dived on the armored vehicle determined as the target and destroyed its target with pinpoint precision in its first test shot.
Güleryüz: Armor-Piercing Head OK, Next is the RF Seeker Head
STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz stated that they are continuously developing KARGU according to the dynamics of the battlefield and continued as follows:
“We have been working on different payload versions of KARGU for a while now. KARGU, which has been actively serving in the field with its anti-personnel ammunition warhead to date, will now affect mobile and settled land targets, durable structures and armored land vehicles with its armor-piercing warhead. User personnel will be able to remove the anti-personnel ammunition warhead and quickly change the armor-piercing warhead according to the current situation in the field. We have come up with a concept that will strengthen the hand of our soldiers, who use KARGU very actively, in the field. It will also be extremely effective in terms of export. On the other hand, we have also come to the end of the RF (Radio-Frequency) Seeker Warhead integration, which bears the signature of STM engineers. With the RF Seeker Warhead, KARGU will be able to detect and destroy enemy radar and electronic warfare systems. We will have brought a national system to our country that can affect enemy elements, especially at an effective cost.”
The Choice of More Than 10 Countries in Three Different Continents
The strike UAV KARGU, also known as the “kamikaze UAV” in the public, was developed by STM with domestic and national resources. KARGU, which entered the inventory of the Turkish Armed Forces in 2018, is effectively used by various security forces in Turkey, especially the TAF, in the fight against terrorism, special operations and cross-border operations. Drawing attention in the world arena, KARGU achieved its first export success in 2021, and by 2024, it was exported to more than 10 countries on three different continents. More than 5 thousand KARGUs have been produced to date.
Hard to Detect in Enemy Territory
With its low radar cross-section feature, KARGU is difficult to detect in enemy territory and can be easily carried by a single soldier and set up in the mission area within 1 minute. The national strike UAV KARGU provides a significant surprise effect and operational superiority with its artificial intelligence and image processing capabilities, silence, and ability to deliver the explosive it carries to the target. Consisting of a strike rotary wing UAV (VIAV) and a ground control station, KARGU can operate effectively day and night with its advanced electro-optic and infrared cameras. KARGU, which can stay in the air for more than 30 minutes, has a range of 10 km. KARGU, which has mission abort, return home and self-destruct capabilities, is equipped with high-performance navigation and control algorithms. In addition to the swarm UAV technology that allows KARGUs to operate in swarms, there is also the KERKES Project that allows them to operate independently of GPS.
The Name Comes from Old Turkish
KARGU, which means “mountaintop observation tower” and “hawk” in Old Turkish, navigates completely automatically with the help of a mission computer. KARGU is particularly responsible for detecting and neutralizing threats in risky areas before soldiers enter. KARGU, which operates completely under operator control with the “Man-in-the-Loop” principle, provides reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence and precision strike capabilities to user personnel by detecting and confirming targets in high-risk, complex conflict zones.
Translation by Google
Source: STM