Turkey’s leading defense industry company, the Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE), has successfully carried out the first live-fire test of its fully domestically developed MKE TOLGA Short-Range Air Defense System. The test was held at the Ministry of National Defense’s Karapınar Firing, Test, and Evaluation Center, attended by around 100 participants, including representatives from the Turkish Armed Forces and various security units.
The event featured comprehensive scenarios demonstrating the system’s soft-kill and hard-kill capabilities. In the first phase, the radar detected an enemy drone nearly three kilometers away, while electro-optical units precisely identified the target. Special electronic jamming systems then neutralized the drone effectively.
In the hard-kill scenario, the system’s physical engagement capabilities were showcased. A three-barrel 12.7 mm gun turret mounted on a BMC Turan 4×4 vehicle, along with other fixed-platform turrets, fired specialized anti-drone ammunition. This ammunition fragments at a programmed range, creating a metallic cloud around the target to increase hit probability, successfully destroying low-altitude drones.
The MKE TOLGA system offers varying engagement ranges depending on the weapon platform:
- 12.7 mm Tolga Weapon System: up to 300 meters
- 20 mm Tolga Weapon System: up to 1,000 meters
- 35 mm Tolga Weapon System: up to 3,000 meters
In addition, the Mobile Radar Station, Electro-Optical System, and Jammer extend detection and soft-kill engagement capabilities up to 10,000 meters.
MKE General Manager İlhami Keleş addressed the press following the successful trials. Keleş highlighted the MKE Tolga system’s proven effectiveness against real targets under authentic conditions. Moreover, he noted that the tests simulated a drone type heavily utilized in the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict. Keleş emphasized the integrated nature of the Tolga system. Specifically, the system offers a complete defense solution. This structure incorporates command and control, radar, electro-optics, jammers, and various weapon platforms.
Keleş stated that the Tolga system establishes the nation’s lower-layer air defense architecture. This capability provides defense coverage for targets operating below 3,000 meters. Hence, these successful tests confirmed the viability of this defensive infrastructure. He asserted the global demand for this technology. Ultimately, he added that the growing drone threat has become a major security topic for nations worldwide
The trials underscore that TOLGA is not only a critical component of Turkey’s low-altitude air defense but also a technology of significant relevance in the global arena, particularly against the rising threat of drones.
