STM Kargu-2
Country: 
TurkeyManufacturer: STM Savunma Teknolojileri
Soldier-portable quadcopter kamikaze drone with on-board AI: Kargu-2 is famous as the first AI-armed drone reported by the UN to have engaged human targets autonomously in Libya (2020).
Soldier-portable quadcopter kamikaze drone with on-board AI: Kargu-2 is famous as the first AI-armed drone reported by the UN to have engaged human targets autonomously in Libya (2020).
Community
Data trust
- Reliability
- Unverified
- Sources
- Sources pending review
Identity
- Designation
- STM Kargu-2
- Alias
- Kargu (Falco)
- Manufacturer
- STM Savunma Teknolojileri
- Country
- Turkey
- Year
- 2019
- Category
- Loitering munition
- Class
- Micro (< 250 g)
- Status
- In service
Performance
- Range
- 10 km
- Endurance
- 30 min
- Top speed
- 72 km/h
- Service ceiling
- 2,800 m
- Propulsion
- Quadrirotore elettrico
Physical characteristics
- MTOW
- 7.06 kg
- Payload
- 1.36 kg
- Weapons
- Testata frammentazione, AT (HEAT) o termobarica intercambiabile
Onboard systems
- Sensors
- EO/IR diurna+notturna, riconoscimento facciale AI, image-tracking
- Datalink / control
- Datalink criptato + modalità autonoma swarm
- Launch
- Lancio manuale (back-pack soldier-portable)
- Recovery
- Kamikaze (impatto) o recovery se non ingaggiato
Combat use
- ▸Libya, GNA vs LNA conflict (2020) — first documented lethal autonomous use
- ▸Turkish counter-terrorism operations against the PKK (2021-)
Tags
Main operators
History
Operational since 2017 and serial-produced from 2019, Kargu is designed for coordinated swarm operations via STM's Kerkes system.
UN report S/2021/229 on the Libyan conflict cited Kargu-2 as the first lethal autonomous weapon to strike combatants without direct human supervision.
STM's Kargu became an international case study in military AI ethics: the 2021 UN Libya Panel report indicates Kargu-2 may have engaged Haftar fighters autonomously, marking a historical threshold in the use of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS).
With an estimated unit cost of US$25,000-30,000, Kargu delivers a revolutionary cost-effectiveness ratio for precision engagement, inspiring similar programmes worldwide (US Switchblade, Russian Lancet, Israeli Hero).