Türkiye’s defence contractor Aselsan has completed the testing of its mobile laser weapon system, Gökberk, against first-person-view (FPV) drones.
The latest trial included detection, automatic tracking, and destruction of FPV threats under across multiple test scenarios.
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The company’s Gökberk system has previously demonstrated its effectiveness against various types of drones, including those with rotary and fixed wings.
These trials have highlighted the system’s rapid response and accuracy in targeting.
The company notes that Gökberk’s capabilities are set to play a role in Türkiye’s national air defence system, known as Steel Dome.
Gökberk has been designed to neutralise threats such as mini/micro uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) through both hard kill and soft kill methods.
It integrates Aselsan’s İHTAR platform with a laser weapon onto a 6×6 mobile platform, moving away from a distributed architecture.
The indigenous laser source of Gökberk, known for its high beam quality, enables the hard kill destruction of targets, said the company.
Additionally, the system can perform soft kill destruction using an electronic jammer developed by Aselsan.
It has various electro-optical systems on the guidance unit offering precise target tracking capabilities.
With the integration of artificial intelligence-supported algorithms, Gökberk’s tracking and identification capabilities are enhanced, allowing for the rapid neutralisation of threats within the target set, according to Aselsan.
The system’s major subcomponents have been domestically designed and produced with contributions from industry partners, including Tübitak Bilgem.
Continuous improvement and development of the system are underway, informed by data from firing tests and trials conducted under different weather conditions.
Earlier in March 2025, Aselsan also showcased the precision targeting abilities of its Gözde guidance kit during a live-fire test from an F-16 fighter jet.
The system engaged and successfully destroyed a moving target using advanced INS/GNSS/Laser Seeker guidance technology.
