ROKETSAN ELÇİN: One Wing Kit, Four Bomb Sizes — Turkey’s Universal Laser-Guided Glide Bomb, Explained

Image: Turkish Air Force SoloTürk F-16 — fighter platform compatible with ROKETSAN ELÇİN laser-guided glide bombs. Photo by slezo (via Flickr), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

The Turkish Air Force’s bomb magazines hold thousands of legacy Mk-class general-purpose bombs in four sizes — Mk-81 (113 kg), Mk-82 (227 kg), Mk-83 (454 kg) and Mk-84 (920 kg). Released from an aircraft, these bombs fall in a straight line plus drift, and the impact point depends on the pilot’s bombing skill, the wind, and luck. ROKETSAN’s ELÇİN laser-guidance kit turns all four of them — every Mk size in the inventory — into laser-guided glide bombs with a single family of kits.

That is the unusual feature. There is no other “one kit fits four bombs” family in NATO. ELÇİN’s universal layout means a single procurement line, one set of spare parts, one operator-training course covers the whole bomb stockpile. From a fighter aircraft, ELÇİN reaches 28 km. From a large drone like Bayraktar AKINCI or TUSAŞ AKSUNGUR, it still reaches 13–25 km, depending on which bomb size is fitted. And, crucially, it tracks targets that are moving — up to 10 degrees per second of angular rate, fast enough to follow a manoeuvring vehicle or a small ship.

What ELÇİN Does

The mechanics are straightforward. A wing kit and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) bolt onto the tail of the bomb. A semi-active laser seeker goes on the nose. The pilot releases the kit-equipped bomb from up to 28 km away. The wings deploy, the bomb starts to glide rather than fall, and meanwhile a laser designator — on the ground, in a helicopter, on a drone, in another aircraft — paints a spot on the target. ELÇİN flies along the inertial track, then locks onto the reflected laser energy in the terminal phase and dives onto the spot.

The glide aerodynamics matter because they fix a real problem with drone strikes. An ordinary Mk-class bomb released from a slow-flying drone like AKINCI would drop almost vertically — short range, predictable trajectory. ELÇİN’s wings buy back range: 13–25 km from a drone, depending on the bomb fitted. That is enough to keep the launching drone outside short-range air defence.

At a Glance

What ELÇİN Actually Buys You

Variants — One Family, Four Bomb Sizes

Specifications

TEBER vs LAÇİN vs ELÇİN: What’s the Difference?

ROKETSAN has three smart-bomb guidance kits, and they are easy to mix up. The short version:

• TEBER — INS + GPS + laser hybrid kit for Mk-81/82. No wings. 28 km range. Strong on fixed targets and GPS guidance.
• LAÇİN + L-POD — thermal-camera kit for Mk-82, with a pilot data link. The pilot watches the bomb’s view in real time and can retarget. Strong on moving targets.
• ELÇİN — winged + pure-laser-seeker kit for Mk-81/82/83/84. Distinguishing feature: one kit family fits four bomb sizes, and it works from drones at meaningful range.

ELÇİN’s strategic value is procurement simplicity. A single line of supply covers everything from small (Mk-81) to large (Mk-84) iron bombs in the stockpile. From a logistics point of view, that is a substantial advantage.

The Turkish Guidance-Kit Ecosystem

• HGK (TÜBİTAK SAGE) — INS+GPS kit for Mk-83/Mk-84.
• KGK (TÜBİTAK SAGE) — long-range winged kit reaching 100+ km.
• LGK (TÜBİTAK SAGE) — pure laser-guidance kit.
• TEBER (ROKETSAN) — INS+GPS+laser hybrid for Mk-81/82.
• LAÇİN + L-POD (ROKETSAN) — thermal-camera + pilot-control kit.
• ELÇİN (ROKETSAN) — winged laser kit for all four Mk sizes.
• BOZOK (TÜBİTAK SAGE) — mini smart bomb for unmanned aircraft.

How ELÇİN Compares Internationally

Summary

Sources:

• ROKETSAN — ELÇİN Laser Guidance Kit
• Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB)

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