As the proliferation of cheap, unmanned aerial systems continues to redefine combat, militaries around the world are scrambling to counter the threat. At this year’s International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) in Turkey, Turkish defense firms unveiled their answer. It’s the ALKA-KAPLAN, a tracked, armored anti-drone vehicle combining a directed energy weapon system with a hybrid-powered platform.
A new breed of combat vehicle
Some are calling it the world’s first “laser-armed tank.” However, the ALKA-KAPLAN is best described as a modular, multi-role, laser-equipped armored vehicle tailored to counter drones and other asymmetric threats.
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The system is a joint venture between two of Turkey’s premier defense contractors: FNSS and ROKETSAN. FNSS developed the vehicle platform — the KAPLAN HYBRID — while ROKETSAN supplied the ALKA Directed Energy Weapon System (DEWS), which sits atop the chassis.
Together, the result is a new generation of mobile anti-drone warfare.
Twin countermeasures: soft kill and hard kill
The ALKA-KAPLAN boasts a two-layered defense system to address a variety of threats:
- Soft-kill capability: Uses electromagnetic jamming systems to disrupt the guidance systems of incoming drones, including micro and mini UAVs and loitering munitions.
- Hard-kill capability: Fires high-energy lasers capable of disabling or destroying fixed-wing and rotary-wing UAVs up to a mile away. The system can also engage ground-based and waterborne threats, such as IEDs, landmines, and floating ordnance.
Artificial intelligence-driven detection and tracking algorithms that help prioritize and neutralize multiple targets, including swarm drone attacks, enhance these capabilities.
Combat-ready hybrid platform
The KAPLAN HYBRID vehicle was first demonstrated in 2023 and provides the platform for this advanced system. It’s powered by a diesel-electric hybrid engine, which enables multiple modes of operation:
- Silent Mode: When stealth is required, the battery-powered drive system allows the vehicle to operate with a reduced heat and noise signature — ideal for reconnaissance missions.
- High-Mobility Mode: Switch to diesel and the ALKA-KAPLAN can keep up with mechanized units, reaching speeds of over 40 miles per hour and maintaining a range suited for frontline deployment.
The onboard generator was specifically designed to power both the vehicle’s drive system and the high-voltage demands of the ALKA laser. Therefore, it eliminates the need for an additional power unit and extends the operational range by more than 10%.
The KAPLAN can also operate as a mobile power station. It can deliver electricity to command posts, field hospitals or other systems in austere environments.
Modular, scalable, and ready to roll
The ALKA-KAPLAN’s design has flexibility baked in. Depending on mission requirements, the system can be outfitted with additional weapon systems, including missile or mortar launchers. The ALKA DEWS is also platform-agnostic, meaning it can be integrated onto other tracked or wheeled armored vehicles as needed.
According to FNSS, all subsystems in the KAPLAN HYBRID were designed in-house or sourced through domestic partnerships. The project is proof of a broader push in Turkey to reduce dependency on foreign defense suppliers. This includes everything from the hybrid transmission to the cross-drive gearbox. FNSS said that makes the company one of a few globally that are capable of delivering a fully indigenous tracked hybrid powertrain.
When will the ALKA-KAPLAN make its battlefield debut?
The ALKA-KAPLAN was unveiled at IDEF 2025, so there aren’t a lot of details about contracts as of publication time. However, Ukraine is currently fighting off waves of Russian drone attacks, and recently opened its front lines to weapons manufacturers eager to test new systems in live conflict.
Given the established defense ties between Turkey and Ukraine, and Ukraine’s previous enthusiastic adoption of Turkish Bayraktar drones, it’s not hard to imagine the ALKA-KAPLAN rolling into action soon.
As drone warfare increasingly dominates the modern battlefield, systems like the ALKA-KAPLAN represent the kind of adaptable, tech-driven responses that may shape the future of ground combat. Turkey’s latest creation is poised to become a case study in next-generation defense, blending stealth, mobility, power generation and directed energy into a single armored platform.
