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Military Sentinel, Ankara – Turkish defense contractor ASELSAN demonstrated its wheeled KORKUT 35 air defense gun system in live-fire trials before military delegations from 12 countries, engaging both kamikaze drones and a moving ground target while on the move.
Proving Shoot-on-the-Move Capabilities
The live-fire demonstration took place at the Karapınar firing range in Konya province, central Türkiye. Observers watched the tactical 8×8 wheeled variant of the KORKUT platform detect, track, and destroy multiple airborne targets representing fixed-wing, delta-wing, and mini/micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
In an additional engagement sequence, the vehicle fired its twin 35mm automatic cannons at a maneuvering ground target while traveling across uneven terrain. ASELSAN stated the trial verified fire-control stabilization and shot dispersion during mobile engagements.
Technical Architecture and Air-Burst Munitions
Originally designed around a tracked hull for mechanized units, KORKUT has evolved to include an 8×8 wheeled tactical truck configuration to enhance road mobility and tactical deployability.
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Primary Armament: Twin 35mm Oerlikon-pattern automatic cannons manufactured domestically by MKE.
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Rate of Fire: Up to 1,100 rounds per minute combined.
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Ammunition Type: ASELSAN ATOM 35mm programmable air-burst ammunition, designed to shower swarms and small drones with tungsten pellets ahead of the target.
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Effective Intercept Range: Approximately 4 kilometers against low-flying aerial targets.
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Sensory Suite: Integrated 3D tracking radar, electro-optical day/night cameras, and a laser rangefinder mounted on the turret structure.
The ATOM air-burst munition acts as a primary operational differentiator: time-fuzed rounds receive precise detonation timers from a muzzle coils system as they leave the barrel, detonating immediately in front of small UAVs to maximize lethal fragment density.
Strategic Implications for Cost-Effective Air Defense
The deployment of low-cost loitering munitions across modern battlefields has strained traditional surface-to-air missile (SAM) inventories, creating severe cost-exchange imbalances. Firing multi-million-dollar interceptor missiles at small kamikaze drones priced at tens of thousands of dollars is unsustainable for long campaigns.
Gun-based counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) offer a lower cost-per-engagement threshold. Türkiye is actively positioning the KORKUT family as the base kinetic tier of its broader Steel Dome (Çelik Kubbe) network-centric integrated air defense architecture.
While ASELSAN did not name the 12 visiting foreign delegations or announce an immediate export contract, several armed forces across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Gulf region are currently scouting mobile, medium-caliber kinetic C-UAS systems to shield armored convoys and forward bases from drone incursions.
