Türkiye inks first export deal for armour-piercing KARGU drone Photo / Video

Türkiye has signed its first export contract for the KARGU loitering munition equipped with an armour-piercing warhead, marking a new milestone for the country’s fast-growing defence industry.

The upgraded variant of the KARGU drone—developed by Turkish defence firm STM—has entered production following successful trials that demonstrated high-precision strikes on armoured targets, Caliber.Az reports per Türkiye’s defence industry news platform.

STM tarafından geliştirilen zırh delici harp başlıklı KARGU İHA, ilk ihracat başarısını yakaladı!

— ihracat müşterisine yönelik teslimatların 2025 yılı içerisinde tamamlanması planlanıyor.

pic.twitter.com/7dRyVrdR5m

— SavunmaSanayiST.com (@SavunmaSanayiST) May 13, 2025

STM CEO Özgür Güleryüz said the KARGU system continues to evolve in line with the shifting demands of modern battlefields, now offering a range of interchangeable warheads.

“The KARGU, which has already been chosen by more than 10 countries across three continents for its anti-personnel capabilities, will now also serve friendly and allied nations—including our own Turkish Armed Forces—with its new armour-piercing variant,” Güleryüz said.

He confirmed that the first export contract for this version has been finalised. “The fact that a country already operating the anti-personnel version has opted to acquire the armour-piercing configuration speaks volumes about its trust in the system’s reliability and effectiveness,” he added.

The modular design of the KARGU allows operators to swap out warheads in the field, enabling rapid adaptation to mission requirements.

By Aghakazim Guliyev