Turkey Has a Laser Tank
It isn't the "world's first," though.
The high-energy laser weapon arms race just got a new and unexpected contender
At this year’s International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) defense expo in Istanbul, Turkish defense firms FNSS and Roketsan unveiled a new hybrid counter-drone system that combines armor, mobility, and laser firepower in a single compact platform.
The system, officially named the ALKA KAPLAN Hybrid Directed Energy Weapon System (DEWS), is, for all intents and purposes, Turkey’s first laser tank – and yes, it actually works.
Watch Turkey’s new laser tank in action:
The platform combines Roketsan’s 50 kilowatt ALKA Directed Energy Weapon and FNSS’s KAPLAN Armored Tracked Carrier into a 15-ton mobile system designed to intercept and disable hostile drones with both hard-kill laser beams and a soft-kill electromagnetic jamming weapon. ALKA’s laser alone can purportedly track up to 100 individual targets at a time and neutralize them at ranges of up to 500 meters, while the jamming system can disable electronics at closer range.
The KAPLAN chassis, already in service with the Turkish military, provides rugged mobility and survivability on rough terrain. According to FNSS, the vehicle’s “unique hybrid powerpack” delivers the high-voltage electrical power required for directed energy weapons like the ALKA without the need for additional bulky generators, preserving the vehicle's battlefield mobility.
In development since 2019, ALKA has reportedly seen real-world operational testing against commercial drones and quadcopters. Now, integrated with the tracked KAPLAN platform, the system appears to have gained the mobility needed to accompany front-line units or defend forward operating bases.
High-energy laser weapons integrated into land-based tactical vehicles face two major barriers to combat effectiveness: mobility and targeting speed. ALKA-KAPLAN allegedly addresses both by putting a stabilized, sensor-fused, AI-enabled turreted laser — not unlike the BlueHalo LOCUST Laser Weapon System currently in use with the US military — on a combat-ready chassis that can maneuver in complex terrain and respond quickly to drone incursions. The result is a short-range solution tailor-made for modern asymmetric threats, especially the drone swarms and loitering munitions which have become defining features of the 21st century battlefield.
The new laser system also signals that Turkey is betting big on its indigenous directed energy capabilities. The country has become a prolific exporter of drones, loitering munitions, and armor to multiple global clients. A mobile laser weapon system rounds out that portfolio and positions Turkey not just as a drone power, but a serious player in the counter-drone space as well.
Of course, the ALKA-KAPLAN is far from perfect. Its 500-meter range limits its utility against fast-moving or higher-altitude threats, and its battlefield survivability remains unproven in contested environments. But to be fair, these are known constraints for the entire class of vehicle-mounted tactical laser systems and not unique to Turkey’s latest entry.
Still, this is a working prototype, not vaporware. And in a world where $500 drone threats are multiplying faster than expensive interceptors can keep up, a mobile, low-cost laser-jammer combo could be a game-changer for countries looking for drone defense without $2 million missiles.
One final note: Several media outlets have declared the ALKA-KAPLAN the world’s “first laser tank.” That dubious honor technically belongs to the Soviet Union’s Cold War-era 1K17 Szhatie mobile laser weapon platform. And just because an armored vehicle has treads doesn’t necessarily make it a tank – just ask the US Army.
But whether you call it a tank or tracked death ray, one thing is clear: Turkey is no longer just flying drones — it’s shooting them down with lasers, too.
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