Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi A.Ş. (MKE)’s newly developed Tolga Close Air Defense System successfully neutralized multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during recent live-fire trials.
The tests, conducted at the Ministry of National Defense Karapınar Firing Test and Evaluation Group Command in Konya, demonstrated the system’s full success in both soft-kill (electronic jamming) and hard-kill (physical destruction) scenarios.
In the soft-kill test, an enemy UAV located approximately 3 kilometers away was detected by radar, identified via electro-optical sensors, and neutralized through electronic jamming.
In the hard-kill test, fixed 12.7 mm, vehicle-mounted 12.7 mm, 20 mm and 35 mm weapon systems engaged low-altitude targets using fragmentation anti-drone ammunition, creating a metal cloud that destroyed the incoming UAVs.
“Proven in Real Scenarios”
After the trials, MKE General Manager İlhami Keleş emphasized that the Tolga system had proven its operational capability against real targets under realistic combat conditions. All test scenarios were successfully completed. Most targets were neutralized within the first three to four rounds. The system is now ready for mass production, both in ammunition and weapon configurations,” he said.
Türkiye continues to expand its domestic close air defense solutions as part of its goal to establish a fully independent, multi-layered air defense network.
Alongside MKE, leading defense companies such as ASELSAN and ROKETSAN are developing short-, medium-, and long-range systems that together form the “Steel Dome” protecting Türkiye’s airspace.
