Turkey unveils ‘world’s first’ tank that jams, fries drones mid-air

Turkey has unveiled the ALKA-KAPLAN, described as the world’s first hybrid tracked vehicle equipped with a directed energy weapon system designed to counter drone threats on the battlefield. Developed jointly by FNSS and ROKETSAN, this system integrates the KAPLAN HYBRID platform with the ALKA Directed Energy Weapon System (DEWS), combining electromagnetic jamming and high-energy lasers to detect, jam, and destroy a wide range of aerial threats including mini and micro UAVs, loitering munitions, helicopters, and drones. The system features AI-assisted tracking and threat identification, enabling rapid response to unmanned aerial vehicles and improvised explosive devices, and can be deployed in fixed, mobile, or portable configurations to protect diverse environments such as urban areas, open land, or convoys. The ALKA-KAPLAN’s hybrid propulsion system, developed by FNSS, includes a high-kilowatt generator that powers both the vehicle and the energy-intensive DEWS without auxiliary power units,