STM, one of Turkey’s leading defense industry companies, has signed an export contract with an undisclosed customer of KARGU Rotary Wing Attack Drone Systems.
STM Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.Ş is a globally competitive innovative high-tech product developer. After achieving success with the navy platform, it has now achieved its first export success in the field of tactical micro-unmanned aerial vehicle systems.
KARGU was developed by STM, an affiliate of the Presidential Palace of the Defense Industry (SSB) of the Republic of Turkey. It was introduced to the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) in 2018 and has since been upgraded based on direct feedback from multiple end users. The capability of the KARGU platform that has been verified in actual combat has attracted the attention of potential export customers. The system has been tested and tested many times under various geographical conditions in different countries. After a successful result, KARGU’s first export contract was signed with an undisclosed customer. The KARGU exported under the above contract will be delivered in 2021.
“We will continue to provide solutions for Turkey’s friends and allies”
Professor Ismail Demir, President of the Defense Industry of the Republic of Turkey, said:
“Developed by STM, a leading company in the field of Turkish tactical micro drones, and effectively used by the Turkish armed forces in this field, the export of KARGU is a new achievement for us. We will continue to provide Turkish Ministry of Defense production to friendly and allied countries. Military products, these products have a good record.”
“We strive to develop the defense capabilities of friendly countries”
STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz said:
“As one of the leading companies in the field of Turkish naval platforms and tactical micro-unmanned aerial systems, we keep moving forward while sharing our accumulated knowledge with friendly and allied countries. We have proven ourselves in the battle and we have started exporting KARGU, which is what we use Developed by our strong engineering capabilities. Our KARGU export negotiations with other countries are still continuing. In every project we implement, we, as a company, attach great importance to cost-effective, uninterrupted technical support and knowledge transfer. We Not only does it sell products, it also lays the foundation for cooperation and strengthening the defense capabilities of friendly and allied nations.”
Fully controlled operation
KARGU Rotary Wing Attack Drone is designed to provide tactical range ISR and precision strike capabilities for ground forces operating in high-risk combat areas. The system can be deployed and operated by one person, and thanks to the self-developed flight control kit and target recognition system, it is effective for both static and moving targets.
The design of the KARGU platform conforms to the principle of “human in the loop”. Each mission (ISR and precision strike) is performed under the full control of a human operator, limiting the autonomy of the platform to only for navigation purposes. The KARGU platform is designed to operate during the day or night with EO and IR sensors. The system has “mission suspension”, “return home” and “self-destruct function” as well as interference countermeasures for signal interruption.
STM’s Swarm UAV operational research and development plan is also successfully continuing. STM’s KERKES project will enable the drone platform to operate independently of GPS. The project is still going on, and so far, testing looks very promising. Finally, STM confirmed that the development of a variety of different warheads for the KARGU and ALPAGU attack UAV systems is underway.
KARGU technical specifications
scope : <5/10 km
endurance : <30 minutes
warhead : <1.3 kg
thrust : electrical
Takeoff/launch: Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)
