C-UAV Capabilities & Directed Energy Systems Validated in Live Trials

During a two-day live demonstration attended by international delegations from 20 countries, leading defense company ASELSAN successfully validated the coordination of its integrated Drone Defense System against complex mini- and micro-UAV threats.

The Drone Defense System, known as DRONDEF, is an AI-supported integrated anti-UAV platform featuring a detection range of 10 km. Designed to protect critical facilities, secure convoys, and provide self-defense, the system utilizes a layered structure of physical and functional destruction subsystems managed from a single command and control center. This architecture incorporates multiple specialized subsystems, including the İHTAR Counter-UAV System for detection and soft-kill capabilities, the GÖKBERK 5/10 Kw Laser Weapon System, and the EJDERHA High-Power Microwave Weapon System. The network also integrates the KORKUT 25 mm Airburst Weapon System, the GÖKALP Autonomous Interceptor Drone, the ŞAHİN LITE and ŞAHİN DUAL airburst weapon systems, and the MİĞFER Self Defense Counter FPV System.

During the live demonstration in Ankara, the system’s coordinated tracking and neutralization capabilities were tested against an array of wirelessly controlled, fiber-optic-controlled, and swarm-formation drones. The operational scenario began with two fiber-optic-controlled drones approaching the defense perimeter in a swarm formation. The incoming threats were promptly detected and classified by the İHTAR Counter UAV System, which was integrated with ASELSAN’s AURA 200-G Multifunctional Surveillance Radar. The Drone Defense Operation Center automatically assessed the situation and assigned the targets to the EJDERHA High-Power Microwave Weapon System, which successfully neutralized both drones using its directed-energy capability.

The live trial then introduced a more dynamic threat environment as two wirelessly controlled drones approached simultaneously from different directions. Upon detection and classification, the İHTAR system deployed its soft-kill assets, effectively disrupting and neutralizing both threats before they could reach critical engagement ranges. In the final phase of the demonstration, a single fiber-optic-controlled drone was launched toward the defended zone to evaluate hard-kill efficiency. The integrated architecture tracked the target and assigned it to the GÖKBERK Laser Weapon System, which destroyed the drone using precise laser engagement.

The successful live exercises validated the complementary roles of these advanced technologies within Türkiye’s Steel Dome air defense architecture. By linking long-range radar detection, AI-driven threat assessment, soft-kill disruption, and precise directed-energy destruction under a unified command-and-control framework, the layered architecture proves capable of protecting assets against both individual and coordinated swarm drone attacks.