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Air · Reconnaissance aircraft

TURUL / STM VTOL

Turkish fixed-wing VTOL reconnaissance system with a current thirty-five-kilogram product baseline.

Role & capabilities

  • Reconnaissance
Supplier-reported statusSupplier-reported status
Primary domain
Air
System type
Reconnaissance aircraft
Developer / manufacturer
STM
Origin / production countries
Türkiye
Other names
No additional names recorded
Variants / configurations
TURUL current baseline; Earlier STM-VTOL naming
Operators / programme customers
Not identified in reviewed sources

Evidence & current status

Supplier information is attributed; performance and operational acceptance require configuration-specific evidence.

TURUL is STM’s fixed-wing VTOL reconnaissance aircraft, also connected to the company’s STM-VTOL naming. It combines vertical launch and recovery with wing-borne cruise and a stabilised day/night imaging payload. Its architecture and mission distinguish it from STM’s smaller quadcopters.

The product table separates a hundred-kilometre flight-range claim from a sixty-kilometre line-of-sight communications figure. Neither should be substituted for the other. Published duration and speed remain supplier values, and the page does not tie every maximum to a single payload and environmental condition.

STM’s March 2026 corporate account describes STM-VTOL among its developed and fielded systems. That supports a supplier-reported status, while leaving a named customer and exact delivered configuration unestablished. A dated operator acceptance would strengthen the profile without relying on a broad portfolio statement. Older STM-VTOL material should retain its own revision when compared with the current TURUL table.

Sourced specifications

Figures apply to the named configuration. Maximum values are not guaranteed operating performance.

SpecificationReported valueContext & source
AirframeFixed-wing VTOLCurrent TURUL baseline. Source ↗
Launch / recoveryVertical take-off and landingManufacturer configuration. Source ↗
PropulsionNot established in the reviewed public sources.Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗
Dimensions3.6 m wingspanSupplier table. Source ↗
Mass35 kg maximum take-offCurrent baseline. Source ↗
Endurance2 hoursSupplier maximum. Source ↗
Range100 km flight range; 60 km line-of-sight datalinkDifferent measures. Source ↗
Speed28 m/s cruiseSupplier table. Source ↗
Altitude2,000 m MSL service ceilingCurrent product value. Source ↗
PayloadNot established in the reviewed public sources.Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗
SensorsStabilised EO/IRSupplier baseline. Source ↗
Communications / navigationNot established in the reviewed public sources.Public evidence gap. No estimate or neighbouring variant value has been substituted. Source ↗

Publication history

  • — Added in the September 2026 global coverage review, with sources, configuration limits and explicit data gaps.

Suggest a correction to this entry →

Follow the evidence

Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.

  1. STM TURUL / STM VTOL technical baseline (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer
  2. STM portfolio status statement, 5 March 2026 (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer

Explore the connections

Manufacturer indexTürkiye

STM

Aircraft and programme links: KARGU, ALPAGU.

Reviewed 20 Sept 2026Read
Air · Coverage auditMiddle East

Middle East defence drone coverage audit

6 original research topics reviewed: 0 resolved, 6 partially resolved and 0 still open. The remaining register identifies specific evidence needs.

Reviewed 21 Sept 2026Read