Turkish defense technology firm STM has successfully tested a radio-frequency (RF) seeker head integrated into its indigenous loitering munition KARGU, demonstrating a new capability to detect, geo-locate and engage both hostile FPV drones and their operators. According to STM, the RF seeker scans a broad frequency range, identifies RF emitters such as FPV controllers or other hostile communications, and provides the targeting data that allows KARGU to transition from reconnaissance to a precision dive attack.

STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz described the development as a battlefield-changing electronic-warfare (EW) capability: the RF-equipped KARGU not only neutralizes the airborne threat but can home on the operator’s transmission source, enabling operator-level targeting. Tests reportedly showed the platform detecting external or internal antenna emissions from an FPV pilot, localizing the source, and executing a terminal attack—offering a cost-effective solution against proliferating low-cost FPV threats and even degrading high-end air defenses via targeted EW tactics.

The RF seeker is built on a software-defined radio (SDR) architecture, allowing in-field updates to address evolving frequencies and countermeasures. It is reportedly platform-agnostic and can operate in GNSS-assisted or GNSS-denied environments, giving it flexibility across contested electromagnetic conditions. STM highlights that the sensor suite can detect a wide range of RF sources, from FPV remote controls to radar and electronic-warfare emitters, turning small loitering munitions into integrated EW strike assets.

Exhibited at IDEF 2025, the RF seeker head represents a trend toward multifunctional miniature munitions that combine sensing, electronic support measures and lethal effect in a single package. STM frames the capability as both a tactical counter to asymmetric FPV operations and a way to impose cost-effective dilemmas on adversary air-defense systems by forcing them to operate blind or be targeted through their own emissions.