Türkiye’s defense firm Aselsan has released video footage confirming the first live air-to-surface firing of its indigenous Tolun precision-guided munition from a Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet, marking a major milestone in the weapon’s development and reinforcing Ankara’s drive to reduce reliance on foreign strike systems.
According to Aselsan, the successful test validates Tolun’s performance beyond previous unmanned aerial vehicle and ground-based trials, demonstrating its readiness for integration across manned combat aircraft. The video shows the munition separating cleanly from the F-16’s underwing pylon, deploying its control surfaces, executing mid-course guidance corrections, and accurately striking a hardened surface target. The test confirms the proper functioning of Tolun’s inertial and satellite-aided navigation system under operational launch conditions.
Development of the Tolun family began in 2020 to address Turkey’s requirement for a domestically produced, standoff precision munition capable of engaging hardened targets. The weapon, classified in the 250-lb (113-kg) class, was first unveiled at IDEF 2021, alongside Aselsan’s SADAK-4T smart quad-rack system. Early testing through 2022 focused on aerodynamic performance and structural integrity, followed by UAV flight trials in 2023 using platforms such as the Bayraktar TB2 and AKINCI.
To meet Turkish Air Force requirements, Aselsan developed the Tolun-SI variant for direct integration with F-16 Block 30 and Block 40 aircraft, independent of the SADAK rack. Ground and captive-carry tests were completed by early 2024, with full avionics and mission-system integration achieved by mid-2025, leading to the recent live-fire demonstration.
Tolun is designed as a low-collateral, high-penetration munition optimized for bunkers, reinforced facilities, and hardened command centers. It carries a 105-kg penetrating warhead capable of defeating up to one meter of reinforced concrete, with a total weapon weight of approximately 136 kg and a compact form factor suitable for multiple underwing carriage or internal bays.
