STM Says TUNGA-X Interceptor Drone Destroyed Target Drone in Turkish Navy’s First Unmanned Systems Exercise
STM’s TUNGA-X interceptor drone struck and destroyed a target drone during TURNAs-2026, the Turkish Naval Forces’ first exercise built around unmanned systems, the company said on Sunday 25 October 2026. In a post on X, STM said TUNGA-X hit the “enemy” UAV target with the support of radar and imaging guidance.
The TUNGA-X engagement
According to the İhlas News Agency, the radar-integrated TUNGA-X made a kinetic strike on a TALON drone acting as the target, without using an explosive payload. The firing took place in the Beşadalar area off Antalya and was shown to observers on screens. Neither STM nor the Navy said whether TUNGA-X has been ordered or has entered service.
STM describes TUNGA-X as a system designed to protect critical facilities and military units against low-cost kamikaze drones. Company figures reported by Savunma Sanayi give a speed of up to 300 km/h, an operating range of up to 25 km, vertical take-off without a launcher and day and night operation, with tracking cued by drone-detection radars. These are manufacturer figures and have not been independently tested. No unit price has been published.
What TURNAs-2026 involved
The exercise ran from 19 to 27 October in the Gulf of Antalya and the eastern Mediterranean. Its distinguished observer day on 25 October, off Sarısu beach, involved 18 ships, 11 aircraft and 1,300 personnel, and 41 systems from 17 companies took part, Anadolu Agency reported. Navy Commander Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu and Deputy Defence Minister Bilal Durdalı attended.
Other serials included sonobuoy drops from TB3 and AKSUNGUR drones, a ŞİMŞEK-K kamikaze drone launched from an ANKA-S, an attack by the explosive-laden PİRANA unmanned surface vessel and firings by the 20 mm TOLGA close-in system on TCG Beykoz against FPV drone and kamikaze boat targets. A KARGU swarm carried out a simulated attack and a KALKAN vertical take-off drone flew from TCG Giresun.
Admiral Tatlıoğlu said lessons from current conflicts show that low-cost unmanned systems that can be developed quickly can have significant military effects. He said the national aircraft carrier, due to go to sea next year, would carry unmanned surface and underwater vehicles as well as drones.
Why it matters beyond Türkiye
Cheap one-way attack drones are now a routine threat in several of the conflicts MENA Defence covers, from Sudan to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Armed forces are looking at interceptor drones as a cheaper complement to surface-to-air missiles, as in the US Army counter-drone evaluation in Tan-Tan, Morocco. Türkiye has previously tested a layered counter-drone kill chain in Ateş Serbest 2026 and has just reported a SİPER Ürün-2 in-flight retargeting test. The KALKAN drone used in the exercise has also been trialled by the naval task group off Somalia. For Turkish equipment already in African service, see our overview of Turkish systems in African armed forces.
