Turkey will launch hundreds of STM Kargu kamikaze drones in Syria and Libya.

The Turkish company Defense Technologies Engineering and Trade (STM) will supply the Turkish Ministry of Defense with hundreds of drones, among which there may be 356 units of Kargu kamikaze drones, according to BulgarianMilitary.com citing a source from the Turkish Ministry of Defense. Such a weapon could become a “killer” of Russian-made Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile-cannon systems in Syria and Libya.
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STM Kargu UAV (Picture source: STM)

According to the Drive magazine Kargu can also unite in a swarm of 20 drones for the purpose of a massive attack, which “could give the Turkish troops a new opportunity, potentially changing the game.” The Drive recalls that the first generation Kargu was introduced in 2017, and already in 2019 Kargu-2s were involved in operations on the Syrian-Turkish border.

The publication notes that a 15-kg drone is able to fly at a speed of up to 145 km/h, fly for up to 30 minutes and be in the visibility range for the operator at a distance of about 10 kilometers. According to The Drive, modern Kargu are equipped with three types of ammunition: high-explosive fragmentation, thermobaric and cumulative.

Kargu can be deployed and operated by single personnel in both autonomous and manual modes, and that has been engineered specifically for anti-terror and asymmetric warfare scenarios. The drone can rapidly and effectively respond against stationary or mobile targets (i.e. vehicles, persons etc.) through its embedded real-time image processing capabilities and deep learning algorithms. The system is comprised of the rotary-wing attack drone (RWAD), a ground control unit, and a UAV recharging station components.

Capabilities: Reliable day & night operation. Guided elimination modes against targets selected on images or coordinates. Tracking moving targets. In-flight mission abort and emergency self-destruction. Return to home mode with fuse safety. Advanced electronic ammunition safety, setup and trigger systems. Destruction of a target at an adjustable distance. Original national embedded hardware and software. Image processing-based control applications. Embedded and real-time object tracking, detection and classification. Ability to load ammunition prior to use. 10x optical zoom. 2-axis stabilized EO and IR detachable original POD options. Battery-backed original battery control and recharging unit.