Saha Expo 2026 – Aselsan widens the Tolun precision guided munitions family and expands its reach with the Fulmar 500-A radar and ASELFLIR-600 gimbal

Among the many new systems unveiled at the Istanbul exhibition by Aselsan, three new members of the Tolun family of gliding precision guided munition was announced together with a new airborne radar, the Fulmar 500A which, together with the ASELFLIR-600 gimbal, allows increasing the weapons reach

The three new effectors are named Tolun-L, Tolun-F and Tolun-EW, the last letter meaning respectively Laser, Fragmentation and Electronic Warfare, and they join the standard Tolun with INS/GNSS guidance, the Tolun penetration, capable to defeat a one-metre-thick reinforced concrete wall, and the Tolun IIR, which allows to maintain the man in the loop. The new Toluns retain the same structure and wing kit of the previous ones, characterised by diamond-shaped wings, and can be carried by the SADAK-4T smart pneumatic quad rack that allows carrying four such weapons under a single aircraft pylon. It has been already certified on the F-16 and the Akinci UAV and will potentially be fitted also to other platforms such as the Kaan, the Eurofighter, the Hürjet, the Kizilelma and the Anka-3. When loaded with four Tolun the rack has a mass of 731 kg, fully compatible with standard pylons. Certified until now with the Tolun and Tolun-IIR no major issues are forecasted with the new versions, as their form factor and mass are very similar. Tolun weapons have a maximum range of around 100 km when dropped from an F-16 and 67 km when dropped from an Akinci, altitude and speed being the key factor, a fighter releasing the Tolun at 40,000 above sea level while the UAV reaches 30,000 ft.

The Tolun-F features a 70 kg fragmentation warhead which generates tungsten or steel shrapnel capable to defeat both armoured and non-armoured targets, its targets of choice being radars, air defence systems, command posts and so on. It is 1,770 mm long, maintains the same 185 mm diameter, and has a mass at launch of 119 kg, while its CEP is less than 10 metres.

While the two previous versions of the Tolun, as well as those already developed, aim at destroying the target, the Tolon EW is designed to open the way to friendly airborne platforms, manned and unmanned, generating false targets, similarly to the US MALD (Miniature Air-Launched Decoy) or MBDA Spear EW. The latter two however are fitted with a propulsion system, a rocket motor, while the Tolun EW is a gliding weapon; on the other hand, the US and European systems do not contain a warhead while the Turkish solution is fitted both with the EW component as well as with a warhead, adding to the jamming and decoying functions, which employ Digital Radio Frequency Memory technology, the suppression one. The threat library can be updated to cope with the latest intelligence available on enemy systems, the data link allowing real time control and mission update.

Aselsan finished the testing of the new Toluns, the three new version being already in the production phase for the national customer as well as, EDR On-Line understood, some export ones.

Beside the new versions of the Tolun, the presentation also involved the new Fulmar 500-A high resolution surveillance and reconnaissance 3D radar. The radar has an AESA rotating antenna, the back optionally hosting the identification friend or foe antenna. This new X-band radar has an instrumented range in excess of 320 nautical miles, and provides air, land, and maritime surveillance alongside SAR, ISAR, and GMTI capabilities, and is integrated under belly, a typical platform being a MALE UAV. within a single platform. According to Aselsan sources its advanced capabilities in the air-to-air mode put it ahead of its competitors. Installing a Fulmar 500-A on a platform armed with Tolun weapons allows fully exploiting their range. This is even more true if the platform is also fitted with the ASELFLIR 600, the 25-inch 150 kg gimbal, which laser designator has been improved and now ensures a range of 50 km in worst case conditions, a result obtained upgrading the whole optical path and not only increasing the output power, EDR On-Line understood. This allows to hit with utmost accuracy a target at that distance using the Tolun-L. The ASELFLIR-600 seen at the show had just been brought to Istanbul after it performed a series of tests integrated into a Baykar Akinci UAV and was on its way in Ankara for some software upgrades, which shows how the system is constantly improved. During the presentation we could see some impressive high-res pictures taken at 200 km distance from target. According to Aselsan the ASELFLIR-600 already bagged some contracts for small numbers, however the company is awaiting some huge contracts in the near future.

Photos courtesy Aselsan and P. Valpolini