Aselsan conducts live-fire test of Gözde guidance kit with F-16 aircraft

Turkish defence company, Aselsan, has successfully tested its Gözde guidance kit’s capabilities, striking a high-speed moving target during its test with an Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jet.

According to Aselsan, the guidance kit successfully tracked and neutralised the moving target with “pinpoint accuracy”, once it was deployed from the F-16 aircraft.

Developed jointly with Tübitak Defense Industries Research and Development Institute (SAGE), the Mk82 guidance kit converts general purpose bombs into laser-seeker guided munitions, allowing it to hit both stationary and high-speed moving targets. The kit has a range of up to 28km and weighs 500lb (250kg).

According to Aselsan, the Mk82 can also be integrated onto both crewed and uncrewed platforms, including Lockheed Martin’s F-16 jet and the Bayraktar Akinci uncrewed combat aerial vehicle.

ASELSAN president and CEO Ahmet Akyol said: "With the successful demonstration of Gözde’s ability to engage high-speed moving targets with pinpoint accuracy, we have proudly displayed Aselsan’s distinctive capabilities in precision-strike technologies.”

In a post on X, Mehmet Fatih Kacir, Turkey’s Minister of Industry and Technology, added that this latest test is one such project that would “strengthen” the country’s security. He added: “Gözde has become the guidance kit that has hit its target the fastest in shooting in our country to date.”