ASELSAN announced the new member of the TOLUN small-diameter bomb family as TOLUN F, which is fitted with a fragmentation warhead instead of penetrating.

TOLUN F, like the baseline TOLUN, uses GNSS/INS guidance. However, the warhead is an alternative one that uses fragmentation effect instead of penetration by hard shell.

TurDef learned that despite the form similarity with TOLUN IIR, the munition has no seeker. This hints at a more cost-effective solution with simpler guidance, as IIR seekers have considerable costs. Additionally, the warhead might be common with TOLUN IIR because the seeker-fitted variant uses a fragmentation warhead as well.

As expected, the bomb can be used from SADAK-4T and SADAK-2T smart racks or, in the case of some UCAVs like Akıncı and Bayraktar TB3, singular hardpoints.

Penetrating Warhead Versus Fragmentation Warhead

Baseline TOLUN's penetrating warhead allows the aircraft to strike hardened structures with reinforced concrete of up to one meter in thickness. However, the penetrating warheads come with the downside of less area effect as they are more optimal against the insides of structures.

However, a warhead focused on the fragmentation effect provides a much larger area of effect, the better option against spread-out soft targets that are not protected by an enclosure.

TOLUN SDB Family

TOLUN family currently consists of the baseline TOLUN with penetrating warhead and GNSS/INS guidance; TOLUN IIR with fragmentation warhead and GNSS/INS/IIR guidance; ground-launched TOLUN S identical to baseline TOLUN; and the recent TOLUN F with fragmentation warhead and GNSS/INS guidance.

Author: Kaan Azman

Editor: Özgür Ekşi