ASELSAN’s TOLUN Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) dropped from an F-16 fighter successfully hit its target under intense GNSS jamming. The use of GPS guidance may have reached its peak level. Electronic warfare-supported countermeasures are widely used to prevent them from reaching their targets. In light of recent developments, TOLUN’s recent test demonstrates an important capability.
The U.S. officials stated that TOLUN’s counterpart, GBU-39, failed to hit its targets because of Russian GNSS jamming in Ukraine. Other GPS-guided weapons, such as M892 Excalibur 155 mm shells, have also been affected. In TOLUN’s previous test with F-16, four targets were hit simultaneously. Thus, F-16 fighters will be capable of attacking eight targets at once. There will be four targets for AKINCI UCAV, which can carry SADAK-4T on the central hardpoint. When dropped by fighter jets, TOLUN, guided by GNSS and INS, has a range of more than 110 km. The munition can penetrate one-meter-thick reinforced concrete before detonation. ASELSAN is also developing an IIR seeker for TOLUN to provide moving target engagement and man-in-the-loop capabilities. TOLUN has been exported for the first time for AKINCI UCAVs in 2023.
