Turkish hunter drone destroys target by direct hit

Turkish defense electronics maker ASELSAN has shown its GÖKALP interceptor drone destroying a target drone in mid-air by flying straight into it, in a live demonstration at the company’s Oğulbey Technology Base in Ankara.

In the test, ASELSAN’s AURA radar picked up the incoming target drone and passed tracking data in real time to a GÖKALP E1 interceptor through the company’s DRONEDEF command-and-control software. The interceptor then flew to the target and destroyed it by direct impact, an approach known as hit-to-kill. ASELSAN did not say when the demonstration took place, what kind of drone served as the target, or how far away and how high the intercept happened.

GÖKALP is a vehicle-mounted system that finds threats with radar and electro-optical sensors and launches interceptor drones that hunt down hostile drones on their own. ASELSAN pitches it as a mobile and cheaper option for dealing with drones, since an interceptor drone costs far less than a surface-to-air missile. Media in Türkiye, citing the company, reported an effective range of more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) against the smallest class of drones and more than 7,000 meters (4.3 miles) against larger ones.

The company unveiled GÖKALP in May at the SAHA 2026 defense exhibition in Istanbul, describing it as an AI-powered, high-speed interceptor built to destroy FPV attack drones and one-way attack drones. ASELSAN said then that the system is intended to protect tanks and armored personnel carriers from small drones in high-intensity combat. It also introduced MİĞFER, a separate hard-kill system mounted on a 4×4 armored vehicle to defend against FPV drones.

GÖKALP is part of DRONEDEF, ASELSAN’s counter-drone layer within Steel Dome, Türkiye’s integrated air defense network. DRONEDEF combines jammers, guns, lasers and high-power microwave weapons, including the İHTAR anti-drone system, the GÖKBERK laser weapon, the KORKUT 100/25 SB anti-drone gun and the EJDERHA high-power electromagnetic system. Türkiye approved the Steel Dome project in August 2024, with ASELSAN as its lead contractor. The company signed a $1.9 billion Steel Dome contract with Türkiye’s defense procurement agency in September 2025 and a further €780 million (about $905 million) deal this year, with deliveries planned from 2028 to 2032.

Interceptor drones have become a common answer to cheap attack drones, most visibly in Ukraine, where forces use them in large numbers against Russian Shahed-type drones. Several Western companies are developing similar systems for NATO armies.