Ankara, October 12 – ASELSAN successfully demonstrated the GÖKALP UAV Interception System’s ability to detect and destroy hostile drones in mid-air during a live trial at the Oğulbey Technology Base in Ankara. Developed by ASELSAN as an indigenous counter-drone solution, the system employs advanced radar and electro-optical sensors to identify unmanned aerial vehicle threats before launching autonomous interceptor drones that neutralize them without continuous human intervention. Its vehicle-integrated design delivers a mobile and cost-effective counter-UAV capability, enabling rapid deployment to protect military bases, critical infrastructure, and mobile forces against the rising challenge of low-cost kamikaze drones and other unmanned systems that traditional air defenses often struggle to counter economically.
In the demonstration, the AURA radar detected the target drone and immediately transmitted real-time tracking and guidance data through the DRONEDEF system’s command-and-control software to the GÖKALP E1 interceptor drone. The interceptor then executed a precise direct-impact engagement, destroying the hostile UAV in mid-air using the kinetic hit-to-kill method. This seamless sensor-to-shooter sequence confirmed the reliable integration of detection sensors, data links, and autonomous flight control under realistic field conditions, validating the end-to-end kill chain that forms the core of the ASELSAN GÖKALP counter-drone architecture and its capacity for timely interception of small aerial threats.
GÖKALP operates as an autonomous kinetic drone-kill system optimized for a broad spectrum of UAV threats, with particular effectiveness against low-speed, high-endurance kamikaze drones. It achieves ranges exceeding 1,000 meters against Class-1 unmanned systems and more than 7,000 meters against larger Class-2 and Class-3 targets, supported by AESA radar, advanced electro-optical sensors, identification friend-or-foe features, and artificial-intelligence algorithms for automated target detection, classification, and engagement. The platform’s modular design allows mounting on 4×4 vehicles or trailer platforms, providing 360-degree coverage, all-weather operation, and the flexibility to employ different interceptor variants while maintaining a significantly lower cost per engagement than conventional missile-based systems.
As a central effector within DRONEDEF, ASELSAN’s dedicated counter-drone layer of the STEELDOME integrated layered air defense architecture, the GÖKALP UAV Interception System unifies detection, command-and-control, and kinetic countermeasures into a coordinated response against mini, micro, and swarming unmanned threats. This successful demonstration of integrated operation and interception performance under realistic conditions underscores the maturity of Türkiye’s indigenous mobile air defense solutions, strengthening the broader STEELDOME framework by adding a scalable, cost-conscious hard-kill option that complements other effectors and enhances overall protection against evolving aerial challenges.