ANKA III MİUS, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ), successfully hit the target by firing the LGK-82 ammunition produced by ASELSAN. This development once again demonstrated Türkiye’s strength in the domestic defense industry. ANKA III, which has successfully fired different domestic ammunition in the past period, once again proved its high engineering capability and operational competence in this latest shot with the LGK-82 ammunition produced by ASELSAN.
Statements by the President of Defense Industries
Defense Industry President Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün made a statement celebrating TUSAŞ’s success. Görgün said, “ANKA III’s successful firing of the LGK-82 ammunition developed by ASELSAN takes our airborne effectiveness to the next level. This important capability gain is a concrete indicator of our national engineering power and our determined progress in our defense industry.” Görgün’s statements once again reveal that the domestic defense industry is rapidly strengthening and has reached levels where it can compete globally.
ANKA III's Previous Successes
ANKA III also successfully tested the ASELSAN-produced TOLUN ammunition at the beginning of 2025. In this test, conducted on January 13, 2025, ANKA III MİUS achieved great success by firing from inside the fuselage at an altitude of 20 feet and a speed of 180 knots. This test also revealed ANKA III’s engineering skills and operational capabilities.
Features of LGK-82 Ammunition
LGK (Laser Guidance Kit) are smart munitions that guide general purpose bombs to the target with high precision thanks to laser designation. These munitions were tested by AKINCI TİHA in 2022 and were successfully fired from an unmanned aerial vehicle platform for the first time. As of March 2025, ANKA III MİUS successfully hit the target using LGK-82 munitions. LGK converts 250 lb class MK-81, 500 lb class MK-82, 1000 lb class MK-83 and 2000 lb class MK-84 bombs into smart munitions.
LGK ammunition offers high hit accuracy against fixed and moving targets, increased firing envelope, lower collateral damage and the ability to change target after firing. The ammunition consists of a semi-active laser seeker head, guidance section, thermal battery, wing drive system and rear tail assembly. Thanks to these features, bombs guided to the target with laser designation reach the target with high accuracy.
The TAI-ASELSAN collaboration has provided another big step for the Turkish defense industry. The successful firing of ANKA III MİUS with the ASELSAN-produced LGK-82 ammunition has once again demonstrated both the effectiveness of domestic ammunition technology and the increasing power of the Turkish aviation industry in the global arena. Such successes will strengthen Türkiye's independence in the field of defense and enable it to gain more competitive power worldwide.
