The photo shows the barrels of Aselsan’s Korkut 35 Air Defense System during a firing demonstration at the Ministry of National Defense Karapinar Firing Test and Evaluation Group Command test range in Konya, Türkiye, Sept. 26, 2026. (AA Photo)
October 05, 2026 05:19 PM GMT+03:00
Türkiye supplied a small number of Aselsan-made Korkut air defense systems to Ukraine earlier this year, allowing Kyiv to test the anti-drone systems against Russian attacks, several people familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye (MEE) on Monday.
“Korkut has been pretty much successful in countering the Russian attacks,” a Ukrainian official told the outlet, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“There were of course some problems but nothing that couldn’t be overcome through some small adjustments,” the official added.
Korkut uses rapid-fire air defense guns to down drones and cruise missiles, which have become a persistent threat in the war.
Korkut ‘battle-proven,’ Ukraine wants more
The sources declined to say how many Korkut systems were deployed on the battlefield.
A Korkut battery typically consists of three weapon-system vehicles and one command-and-control vehicle.
The Ukrainian official said Korkut could be considered battle-proven and that Ukraine was interested in buying more.
“If the pricing is right, we would like to buy more,” the official said.
Ukrainian officials said many Turkish defense firms are working with the Ukrainian army to test their weapons and improve their systems.
The photo shows the Aselsan’s Korkut 35 Air Defense System during a firing demonstration at the Ministry of National Defense Karapinar Firing Test and Evaluation Group Command test range in Konya, Türkiye, Sept. 26, 2026. (AA Photo)
Korkut 35 shown to delegations from 12 countries
Aselsan recently demonstrated the Korkut 35 air defense system to international delegations from 12 countries at the Defense Ministry’s Karapinar test range in Konya.
The demonstration focused on defense against kamikaze drones, with the system engaging fixed-wing and delta-wing drones under representative operational conditions.
Mounted on an 8×8 tactical wheeled vehicle, Korkut 35 also hit a moving ground target while both the system and the target were in motion. The firing tests highlighted Korkut 35’s role as a mobile, low-cost air defense solution against low-cost targets.
The Korkut 150/35 fires up to 1,100 rounds per minute with an effective range of 4 kilometers. It uses Aselsan’s ATOM 35 programmable airburst ammunition against fighter jets, helicopters, drones, drone swarms, cruise missiles and air-to-ground missiles.
Türkiye has supplied Ukraine with a range of defensive weapons since the war began, including Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), laser-guided missiles, artillery rounds and machine guns.
October 05, 2026 05:19 PM GMT+03:00