STM showcases rotary wing kamikaze drone Kargu at ADEX.

STM is a company operating in Turkey, operating in the civil, public (including military), and private sectors. During ADEX 2022, the firm is showcasing its rotary wing kamikaze drone Kargu.

STM Kargu kamikaze drone, Baku, Azerbaijan. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

STM Kargu is a small portable rotary wing kamikaze drone produced in Turkey by STM (Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.Ş.) that has been designed for asymmetric warfare or counter-insurgency.

It can be carried by a single personnel in both autonomous and manual modes. KARGU can be effectively used against static or moving targets through its real-time image processing capabilities and machine learning algorithms embedded on the platform. The system consists of the rotary wing attack drone and ground control unit.

In 2020 the STM Kargu loaded with explosives detected and attacked Haftar's forces in Libya with its artificial intelligence without command, according to a report from the United Nations Security Council's Panel of Experts on Libya, published in March 2021. It was considered the first drone attack in history carried out by the UAVs on their own initiative.

Kargu has a facial recognition system, suggesting it can seek out specific individuals. Its swarms are too numerous to be tackled by advanced air defense systems and can destroy a large number of targets very rapidly.