DBDC INTERNATIONAL DEFENCE PUBLICATIONS & EVENTS UK LTD

Image copyright: MKE

Turkish defence manufacturer Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi (MKE) has successfully demonstrated the capabilities of its TOLGA Short-Range Air Defence (SHORAD) System during a live-fire event attended by 64 military attachés, official representatives and civilian observers from 24 countries, including NATO members and Gulf states such as the United States, Lithuania, Egypt, Qatar and Romania.

The demonstration showcased TOLGA’s ability to counter the rapidly evolving spectrum of modern aerial threats through seven operational scenarios involving loitering munitions, drone swarms and fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles. According to MKE, the system successfully neutralised every designated target, achieving a 100% success rate throughout the exercise. The event provided international participants with the opportunity to observe the system’s layered air defence architecture operating under realistic battlefield conditions, highlighting Türkiye’s growing capabilities in the field of counter-unmanned aerial systems and short-range air defence.

Developed entirely by MKE, TOLGA is a modular and fully integrated short-range air defence solution designed to protect military forces and critical infrastructure against a wide range of aerial threats, including loitering munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles and other asymmetric airborne threats. The system has been developed in accordance with MKE’s “Effective – Simple – Affordable” philosophy, providing a scalable architecture capable of adapting to different operational requirements while maintaining cost-effective deployment.

At the heart of TOLGA is a comprehensive sensor and weapon integration architecture combining the indigenous GÖKBÖRÜ Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, electro-optical surveillance sensors, an Acoustic Detection System, an Electronic Countermeasure (Jammer) System and an advanced Command and Control infrastructure. Together, these components enable the system to detect, identify, track and engage multiple airborne threats simultaneously under demanding operational conditions.

The first layer of defence relies on advanced detection and electronic warfare capabilities. Radar, electro-optical sensors and electronic countermeasures allow TOLGA to detect and disrupt hostile drones and other aerial threats at ranges of up to 10 kilometres, providing an effective soft-kill capability before kinetic engagement becomes necessary. When electronic countermeasures alone are insufficient, the system automatically transitions to its hard-kill layer.

The kinetic component of TOLGA employs MKE-developed 12.7 mm, 20 mm and 35 mm weapon systems firing specially designed programmable anti-drone ammunition. These munitions are engineered to detonate at precisely calculated distances, creating dense fragmentation patterns that significantly increase the probability of successfully destroying small and highly manoeuvrable aerial targets. The 35 mm programmable ammunition provides an effective engagement range of up to 3,000 metres, while the 20 mm variant reaches targets at distances of up to 1,000 metres and the 12.7 mm ammunition is optimised for engagements within 300 metres.

TOLGA’s close-range engagement capability is further enhanced through the integration of the MAP DUAL Mobile Vehicle Platform equipped with twin PMT-76 machine guns, providing an additional layer of defence against low-altitude aerial threats. MKE has also developed a new 7.62 mm fragmented anti-drone cartridge that enables infantry personnel to engage small drones using standard service rifles without requiring dedicated counter-UAS weapon systems, extending anti-drone capability to frontline troops.

Looking ahead, MKE plans to further strengthen TOLGA’s layered defence architecture through the integration of a Laser Weapon System and the ENFAL-17 missile. These additions are expected to provide commanders with additional engagement options while extending the system’s effectiveness against increasingly sophisticated aerial threats.

The TOLGA Command and Control Unit, available in both mobile and fixed configurations, enables all sensors and weapon systems to be managed from a single command centre. Supporting remote operation as well as manual, semi-autonomous and fully autonomous operating modes, the system offers considerable operational flexibility and rapid adaptation to a wide variety of mission requirements and battlefield environments.

As the proliferation of drones, loitering munitions and other low-cost aerial threats continues to reshape modern warfare, integrated short-range air defence systems have become an increasingly critical capability for armed forces worldwide. The successful multinational demonstration reinforces MKE’s ambition to position TOLGA as a competitive indigenous SHORAD solution for both the Turkish Armed Forces and international export customers. By combining advanced sensors, electronic warfare, programmable ammunition and scalable command-and-control architecture into a single integrated system, TOLGA represents a comprehensive approach to protecting military formations and critical infrastructure against the evolving challenges of the modern battlefield.

Video copyright: MKE

At the demonstration attended by 64 participants from 24 countries, TOLGA SHORAD successfully neutralised drone threats, including Shahed-type, across seven different scenarios with a 100% success rate.

By integrating soft-kill and hard-kill capabilities through both mobile and fixed command-and-control centres, TOLGA delivered layered short-range air defence at ranges of up to 10,000 metres.

✅ Detected the threat with radar and acoustic systems.
✅ Identified and tracked the target with our electro-optical system.
✅ Suppressed and neutralised the threat using our jammer system.
✅ Neutralised the target at 1,000 metres with our vehicle-mounted and fixed-turret 20 mm weapon systems.
✅ Conducted engagement at 300 metres with our vehicle-mounted and fixed-turret 12.7 mm QCB and 12.7 mm rotary weapon systems.

Against lower-altitude threats, we also successfully neutralised other drone targets using our newly introduced MAP DUAL (Mobile Vehicle Platform) and our 7.62 mm anti-drone fragmentation ammunition fired from infantry rifles.