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Türkiye's national kamikaze drone KarguFPV successfully struck an armored vehicle with pinpoint accuracy in its first live ammunition test using an armor-piercing warhead, STM Defense Technologies said.
The KarguFPV, developed by STM Defense Technologies Engineering and Trade Inc., hit the designated armored vehicle target with a direct hit in the first test shot, according to a statement from STM on Friday.
The drone successfully penetrated the armor after hitting the target with pinpoint precision, the statement said.
STM General Manager Ozgur Guleryuz stated that they are delivering reliable, agile and highly effective solutions to the field in the shortest time.
"We have started using the armor-piercing warhead in KarguFPV, which we equipped with different payloads," Guleryuz said.
"Thus, we have successfully tested Türkiye's first indigenous armor-piercing munition-headed FPV. As STM, we will continue to offer adaptable and national solutions appropriate to the nature of the changing warfare environment," he added.
KarguFPV, which previously entered the field with an anti-personnel warhead, now creates high impact on armored vehicles and fortified targets thanks to the armor-piercing warhead, according to the statement.
The system has precise strike capability with high autonomy support.
KarguFPV provides a deterrent force against dynamic threats in asymmetric warfare environments, according to the statement. It engages enemy elements through its operator-controlled real-time vision system and neutralizes its target with anti-personnel or armor-piercing munition.
KarguFPV provides precise strike capability against fixed or moving targets with high maneuverability, effective day and night operation capability and low radar cross-section.
The system can continue its mission unaffected by electromagnetic jamming thanks to the fiber-optic cable integrated into the system. It performs secure flight and targeting without relying on GPS or RF signals.
Equipped with an integrated day and night camera, KarguFPV can operate without being affected by electronic warfare systems such as jamming and blinding. The platform offers automatic detonation capability at an adjustable distance with its proximity sensor, while providing fully accurate hits by marking the target with computer vision-supported autonomous terminal diving capability.
KarguFPV has the same munition and fuze system as KARGU from the tactical UAV family in the FPV usage concept, allowing KARGU munitions in the inventory to be used in the FPV usage concept.
Armor-piercing and anti-personnel munitions equipped with military standard fuzes of STM design can be used with both KARGU, Türkiye's first national kamikaze UAV, and KarguFPV without any modifications.
KarguFPV has a mission range of 10 kilometers and can stay airborne for more than 20 minutes in kamikaze mode and 44 minutes in observation mode (without munition and fuze). The national kamikaze drone has a mission altitude of 500 meters and can reach a maximum altitude of 5,500 meters.
Reaching a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour, KarguFPV has payload options including anti-personnel and armor-piercing warheads and fiber-optic cable. The platform has a takeoff weight of 3,650 grams (with 1.3 kilogram munition) and dimensions of 355 by 355 by 300 millimeters.
The drone has wind resistance of 30 meters per second and can operate in temperatures from minus 20 to plus 60 degrees Celsius. KarguFPV is powered by a lithium-ion battery.
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