Turkish combat drone successfully test-fires new laser-guided missile

Middle East, News July 4, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Turkish-made attack drone, Bayraktar Akinci, successfully test-fired a domestically produced LGK-82 (Laser Guidance Kit), on July 2.

The newly tested laser-guided missile has been developed by Turkish defense contractor ASELSAN. The Chief Executive of ASELSAN Haluk Gorgun termed the successful test as a ‘game-changer’ for the Turkish defense industry.

“Our UAVs are now much more powerful and a better deterrent. ASELSAN LGK-82 smart high-impact bombs hit the target with precision. This strike force is truly a game-changer,” Gorgun said.

During the test, the Akinci UAV precisely struck the target that was being laser marked by the Bayraktar TB2 drone. The missile used in the test was the KGK-SIHA-82 wing-assisted guided missile, which is also produced domestically by TUBITAK Defense Industry Research and Development (SAGE).

The missile was fitted with the laser guidance kit LGK-82. This is the first time that a Turkish drone has integrated a domestically produced laser-guided missile into its ammunition.

*^{ASELSAN LGK-82 (Laser Guidance Kit) smart high-impact bombs. (Image Credit: Aselsan/via SDE)}*

After taking off from northwestern Tekirdag’s Corlu district, Akinci Drone flew at an average altitude of 30,000 feet above the clouds as it marked the target at the ground. The LGK-82 can turn a general-purpose 500-pound to 200-pound unguided missile into a laser-guided missile that can hit the target from miles away with pinpoint precision. Apart from the tested KGH-SIHA-82 missile, the laser precision kit can also be integrated into other unguided missiles.

In late April, the Akinci drone conducted its first live firing test at a sea target in a test that saw it hit a target using a TEBER MK-82 guidance kit, developed by another defense giant, Roketsan. During that test, a target laser-marked by Bayraktar TB2 was hit with high precision by an MK-82 bomb from an altitude of 20,000 feet onto a floating target.

Akinci is top of the line combat drone produced by the Bayraktar which was first delivered to the Turkish security forces in late August 2021. Since then, the combat drone has joined the company’s highly successful small-sized Bayraktar TB2, which has been widely used and sold to various countries, including Ukraine, Qatar, Azerbaijan, and Poland. Six Akinci drones have entered the inventory so far and have been actively used by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).

*^{Turkey conducted LGK-82 Laser Guidance Kit Firing Test. (Image Credit: Twitter/Selcuk/IRIA videograb)}*

Akinci is longer and wider than the Bayraktar TB2 and can perform strategic tasks. It has a 65-foot wide wingspan with its unique twisted-wing structure and is equipped with fully automatic flight control and a triple-redundant autopilot system.