Loitering Munition
KARGU
KARGU is a man-portable, rotary-wing loitering munition, or kamikaze drone, developed and produced by STM in Ankara, Türkiye. Weighing 7.7 kg, it can be carried and launched by a single soldier against stationary or moving targets by day or night, and can also operate in swarms.
Türkiye|STMOverview
STM designed KARGU for small units that need precision strike at short range. The quadcopter has a range of 10 km with an external antenna, flies for up to 30 minutes and cruises at about 72 km/h, diving on targets at about 540 km/h. An EO/IR camera with 10× optical zoom finds targets, and an RF seeker is also offered. Warheads come in anti-personnel fragmentation and armour-piercing versions. STM stresses a ‘man-in-the-loop’ principle in which the operator confirms the attack and can abort it.
KARGU entered the Turkish Armed Forces inventory around 2018, according to STM, and several hundred are reported in Turkish service, though the figure is not official. STM said in June 2025 that KARGU is used in more than 10 countries on three continents, with exports since 2021, but it does not name customers. A 2021 UN Panel of Experts report suggested a Kargu-2 may have attacked retreating forces in Libya autonomously in 2020; the claim was widely debated, and STM says the system works with a human operator.
Key Specifications
Variants
KARGU: the original man-portable quadcopter loitering munition with an EO/IR camera and interchangeable warheads.
KARGU-2: the designation used for the newer production model, shown in swarm tests and named in the 2021 UN report on Libya.
ALPAGU: STM’s fixed-wing, tube-launched loitering munition, which complements the rotary-wing KARGU.
Operators
TürkiyeFrequently Asked Questions
What is the range of KARGU?
KARGU has a range of 10 km with an external antenna, or 6.5 km using the ground control unit’s onboard antenna, according to STM. It can stay in the air for up to 30 minutes with its payload.
Is the KARGU drone autonomous?
STM says KARGU works on the ‘man-in-the-loop’ principle, so an operator confirms each engagement and can abort the attack. A 2021 UN report suggested a possibly autonomous attack in Libya in 2020, but no independent proof of fully autonomous lethal use has been published.
How much does a KARGU drone cost?
STM has not published a unit price for KARGU. Costs depend on the warhead type, ground control units, training and support included in a contract, so any price figures in the media should be treated as estimates.
Which countries use KARGU?
Türkiye is the only officially named KARGU operator. STM said in June 2025 that KARGU is used in more than 10 countries on three continents without naming them. Azerbaijan and Peru have been reported as users in open sources, but this is unconfirmed.
KARGU vs Switchblade: which is better?
They suit different needs. KARGU is a 7.7 kg quadcopter that can hover, observe and then dive on a target at about 540 km/h within 10 km, while the US Switchblade 300 is a smaller tube-launched fixed-wing loitering munition. The choice depends on mission and terrain.
How fast is the KARGU drone?
KARGU cruises at about 72 km/h (20 m/s) and reaches a maximum dive speed of about 540 km/h (150 m/s) when attacking, according to STM. It can operate up to 3,000 m above sea level and in winds of 10 m/s.