A Ukrainian delegation led by Pavlo Palisa, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, visited Turkey, where it held talks on strengthening Ukraine's air defense capabilities. As part of the visit, the delegation attended a demonstration of the TOLGA system at a testing range, giving an opportunity to take a closer look at the system.
The TOLGA system, developed by the Turkish company Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi (MKE), is a multi-layered, short-range air defense system. It is designed specifically to counter mass attacks by kamikaze strike UAVs such as the Shahed drones.
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TOLGA covers a modular zone with a detection range of 10 km, where drones within a range of up to three km are countered by various means: electronic warfare systems, anti-aircraft machine guns, cannons, and so on. All of these can operate in automatic, semi-automatic, and manual modes.
For close-range engagements, turrets equipped with 12.7-mm machine guns are recommended, covering distances of up to 300 m. A turret with a 20-mm cannon is designated for ranges up to 1,000 m, and a 35-mm anti-aircraft gun is positioned for ranges up to 3,000 m. The system is also equipped with electronic warfare equipment, a radar, and a command post.
According to the manufacturer, the system uses specially designed anti-drone ammunition with programmable detonation. This helps improve the effectiveness of anti-drone systems, but production needs to be scaled up to meet demand.
Overall, this is a standard combination of turrets operating at different ranges, forming a multi-layered defense. The main advantage lies in integrating these systems into a unified command-and-control network. The control point for this network is most likely shown in the photos released during the Ukrainian delegation's visit.
Overall, such a system could prove useful in protecting strategic facilities, with machine guns serving as the "last line of defense." It should be noted that Ukraine is currently deploying a network of machine gun turrets to counter drones. Notably, the TOLGA module is also featured in the modernization of Azerbaijan's BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles.
It is also worth noting that Korkut anti-aircraft systems were purchased from the Turkish company Aselsan for the Defense Forces of Ukraine. It was reported that the Ukrainian side would like to purchase more. So far, there has been no official confirmation of further orders for any of these air defense systems.
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