Baykar’s second loitering munition, KEMANKEŞ 2, has landed on its skids in its second system verification test. Like in the first test, KEMANKEŞ 2 was sprint-launched by a pickup truck releasing it after reaching sufficient speed, demonstrating independence from rocket-assist and catapult systems. The test showed feed from KEMANKEŞ 2’s electro-optical seeker and the munition’s recovery capabilities. At the end of the test, KEMANKEŞ 2 landed on what appeared to be skids mounted under the fuselage without a parachute, further showing its ease of operation.
KEMANKEŞ 2 is larger than KEMANKEŞ, which weighed 30 kg with a capacity for six-kilogram warheads. While the munition resembles KaGeM V3 jointly developed with Pakistan, TurDef has learned that the two munitions aren’t the same. The new munition has a range exceeding 200 km and an endurance of one hour.
The guidance package consists of an electro-optical system and communication with the ground control system. Baykar stated that both navigation and optic guidance will benefit from Artificial Intelligence (AI).
While the tests have been done with a speeding pickup so far, the finalised version might have options for catapult launch or rocket-assisted take-off (RATO).
