Saha Expo 2026 – Tunga X, the interceptor drone from STM

Killing incoming drones has become a must on the battlefield, and following initial periods when expensive missiles were used to cope with this new threat, in an economic-asymmetric fight, new assets have been developed to ensure defence against those enemy assets. One of them is the interceptor drone and STM (Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik, Defence Technologies Engineering), the Turkish company which has been engaged in the loitering munitions business for over a decade, unveiled its interceptor drone named Tunga X at the Istanbul exhibition

With the typical architecture of interceptor drones, a fuselage, in this case with an octagonal section, with X-shaped wings each one carrying an electric motor with two-blade pulling propellers, the Tunga X is designed to kill enemy drones thanks to the 750 grams high explosive – fragmentation warhead which is activated by a proximity fuse, manual triggered detonation being also available; the airframe kinetic energy can also be exploited to increase lethality should the trajectory allow a direct hit with the incoming UAV. The Tunga X is produced using lightweight composite material and has a mass of 4 kg; it can fly at a maximum speed of around 300 km/h, range being 25 km at 1,500 metres altitude at the cruise speed of 150 km/h, maximum altitude being 5,000 metres. Batteries ensure a flight endurance of 15 minutes.

The drone takes-off vertically and follows the target data provided by the detection radar on the ground; EDR On-Line understood that currently the drone is flown manually, like a First-Person View drone, its control being easy according to STM, however in late 2026 the autonomous take-off function will be added, the aim being to have soon a fully autonomous interceptor. The front day/night camera provides images to the image-processing-based engagement system used in the last phase of the attack, the Tunga X being capable of autonomous tracking. The ground control station comes in the form of a hardened tablet and allows to switch between manual and autonomous modes, and between GNSS guidance and optical guidance in the attack phase, depending on the threat and situation. The Tunga X features a mission-cancel option, allowing for a safe return-to-home.

EDR On-Line understood the Tunga X is ready for production, and beside the national customers quotations were provided to friendly nations. Apparently, the system is being spiral developed, with new functionalities added over time.

Photos courtesy STM and P. Valpolini