Newsletters
Turkish defense giant Aselsan unveiled the Fulmar 500A active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and three variants of the Tolun munition family for the first time at SAHA 2026.
Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol declared that the new systems would double the laser-designation capability of Turkish unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) and "take Turkish UCAVs to a different league globally."
The launch ceremony was also attended by Air Force Commander General Ziya Cemal Kadioglu and Baykar and SAHA Istanbul Chairman Haluk Bayraktar.
"Our UCAVs will now, in a perfect combination, be able to remotely designate, detect and complete the entire process through to a real hard kill on their own. This is a game-changer model. This is proof of how we have arrived at places that challenge our imagination," Gen. Kadioglu said.
"As the Armed Forces, it is our duty to do justice to this, and we will," he added.
The Fulmar 500A is an AESA radar developed for integration on Akinci and Aksungur unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) platforms as well as manned patrol aircraft.
It can simultaneously detect and track surface unmanned sea vehicles and mines alongside surface, ground and air targets, providing comprehensive battlefield surveillance from a single system.
Fulmar provides multi-target detection and tracking at high ranges in both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. It can identify and track moving ground targets in real time and produce high-resolution terrain maps through synthetic aperture radar imaging.
Its below-cloud imaging capability allows it to operate in all weather conditions.
The AESA architecture delivers high scan speed, low response time and multi-target tracking, providing decision-makers with real-time data flow.
"Aselsan is combining the power of sensors with munitions. With these products, Turkish UCAVs gain twice the laser designation capability they have had to date. These technologies will take Turkish UCAVs to a different league in the world," Akyol said.
"Today, if Baykar is the world's largest UCAV exporter, Aselsan has a very large contribution to that. Aselfir 600 is the world's most advanced camera system, and Fulmar is the same. These technologies add very significant power to our country," Bayraktar said.
Tolun-L is a 250-pound class, laser-seeker-guided munition with a fragmentation warhead, carried via the SADAK 4T multi-carriage launcher.
With a folding-wing structure for UAV deployment, it has a range exceeding 50 kilometers. It navigates via an inertial navigation system until GPS lock is achieved, then switches to a laser seeker for terminal guidance.
Tolun-L offers selectable impact angle, all-weather capability and waypoint tracking, and reduces sortie count by engaging both moving and fixed high-value targets with low collateral damage.
Tolun-F adds a cockpit-programmable timed electronic fuze and proximity sensor, allowing the warhead to detonate at a precise standoff distance from the target before impact.
Its fragmentation warhead delivers maximum damage against a variety of target types through above-target detonation.
Tolun EW is a domestically developed long-range loitering munition with electronic warfare capability.
It is designed to loiter over a target area for a defined period, generating effects across the electromagnetic spectrum, including jamming, deception and suppression of air defense systems, before engaging the target kinetically if required.
In a separate interview with Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) at SAHA 2026, Akyol provided a broader picture of Aselsan's industrial scale.
The company delivered 286,000 products to end users last year—spanning air defense systems, guided munitions, electronic warfare systems and radars—and targets delivery of more than 400,000 products this year.
Aselsan has launched 10 new robotic automation lines, scaling the production of guided munitions, radars, and seeker systems into the thousands. A new $372 million facility adding 40% capacity came online last year, with a further 200,000-square-meter investment underway.
Akyol said Aselsan had grown 29% over the past three years against a global defense industry average of 11%, with order growth reaching 90% against a global average of 30%.
Product development time has been cut from 48 months to 28 months, and revenue per employee has risen from $200,000 to $300,000.
Aselsan's market value has reached $44 billion.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
1 min read
