ALPAGUT Successfully Launched from AKINCI UCAV

ALPAGUT, the Smart Loitering Munition System developed by STM and ROKETSAN, two leading Turkish defence industry companies, has successfully completed its test launch from the AKINCI UCAV.

Jointly developed by Türkiye’s leading rocket and missile center ROKETSAN and STM, a pioneer in tactical mini UAV production, the ALPAGUT Smart Loitering Munition System continues its flight test campaign.

Integrated into the Bayraktar AKINCI Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV), developed by Baykar, ALPAGUT was successfully released over a maritime target off the coast of Sinop. After loitering in the air and autonomously identifying and evaluating the target, ALPAGUT executed a precision dive and successfully completed the test. Following its earlier ground-based launch tests, where it achieved a direct hit, ALPAGUT has now also successfully completed its airborne release, wing deployment, navigation, and electro-optical guidance tests.

STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz stated:

“Our nationally engineered smart loitering munition system ALPAGUT, developed in collaboration with ROKETSAN, has now successfully completed its first test launch from an airborne platform following its earlier ground tests. With its 60 km operational range, endurance of over 60 minutes, and day/night operational capabilities, ALPAGUT will be a powerful asset against fixed and moving land or naval targets. I congratulate all our colleagues at STM, ROKETSAN and BAYKAR who contributed to this achievement.”

Effective against Stationary and Moving Targets

STM and ROKETSAN started work on the joint development of ALPAGUT to meet the urgent need for an effective Smart Loitering Munition solution, given the critical roles such systems have played in recent years amid the ongoing wars and conflicts in different parts of the world.

ALPAGUT, which is capable of being operated day and night, will be an effective against mobile or stationary targets, on land or at sea, radar and communication systems, light armored land and sea vehicles, critical facilities such as command centers, personnel and targets of opportunity.

With an operational radius of 60 kilometers, endurance more than 60 minutes and different types of warheads, ALPAGUT, can be used individually or in swarm configurations.

Once fired/released, the system will enter into target detection, tracking and evaluation mode, hovering in the air for a certain period of time, and will then begin an attack dive to destroy the identified target autonomously after obtaining user approval from the ground.

ALPAGUT can detect and recognize targets with its two-mode seeker without being noticed, and is unaffected by jamming systems. The target can be pinpointed with a precision guidance-control propulsion system. In addition to all these features, the system also offers significant advantages to its users with its fire&forget feature, and in its ability to be rapidly integrated into manned and unmanned land/air/sea vehicles. The system will be developed as a major game changer in the battlefield. Its ability to be swiftly integrated with domestically-manufactured UCAV systems will allow rapid engagement with mobile air defence systems, strategic ground elements and asymmetric targets.